Damage to the agriculture sector of the effects of El Niño affecting the country has surged to P1.75 billion from P357.38 million last February 25, according to latest data from the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Operations Center.
The DA attached agency in its advisory as of March 14, said damage from the weather phenomenon covers 32,231 hectares of areas tended by 29,437 farmers in the regions of Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Western Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula and Soccsksargen.
The breakdown of the damage is as follows: 48,332 metric tons (MT) on rice worth P1.13 billion; 18,966 MT of corn, P317.86 million; 7,794 MT of high value crops, P305.55 million; and 32 heads of livestock and poultry, P59,000.
The DA said it has provided a total of P379.06 million worth of assistance to affected farmers. These include high value crops with less water requirement like mung beans to affected farmers in Iloilo and Negros Occidental amounting to P990,000.
The DA also distributed hybrid rice seeds worth P7.87 million and fertilizers worth P7.63 million to non-vulnerable areas in Western Visayas for maximization of production to compensate for the losses.
Financial assistance from the Rice Farmers Financial Assistance Program has also been given by DA to 71,795 farmers in Mimaropa with a total amount of P362.56 million.
A total of 35 rice and 16 corn farmers in Ilocos, Central Luzon and Mimaropa regions have been indemnified by the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. with a total amount of P1.24 million.
Other initiatives include the conduct of cloud seeding operations to ease water shortage; installation of 570 water augmentation pumps; concreting of irrigation canals; desiltation of irrigation canals; adoption of the alternate wetting-and-drying method; and a quick turnaround strategy.
DA Regional Field Offices in Ilocos, Cagayan Valley and Mimaropa regions have also started endorsing the list of affected farmers to the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and Department of Labor and Employment for other forms of assistance such as provision of food packs and cash for work programs.
