Damage to agriculture due to the effects of the El Niño phenomenon has reached P9.89 billion, 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 12 noon of June 6 said the weather phenomenon affected 170,469 hectares (ha) of areas tended by 183,455 farmers and fisherfolk in Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Central Mindanao, Davao and Soccsksargen.
The total amount is equivalent to a total volume loss of 441,801 metric tons (MT) of agriculture products: 191,233 MT of rice worth P4.75 billion; 188,861 MT of corn, P3.37 billion; 50,227 MT of high value crops worth P1.7 billion; 11,334 MT of fisheries, P57.72 million; 2,403 heads of livestock and poultry, P10.47 million; and 147 MT of cassava,P3.42 million.
The DA said it has so far provided P9.91 billion worth of assistance to affected farmers: P8.59 billion through the Rice Farmers Financial Assistance program and P659.17 million for production support including inputs, fertilizers, planting materials, pumps and engines, hose, drugs and biologics provided by the agency’s regional field offices.
The Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. also indemnified farmers with a total amount of P177.12 million.
