El Niño damage to agriculture sector balloons to P5.05 billion
Published Apr 2, 2019 12:00 am
By Madelaine B. Miraflor
The farm sector continues to feel to brunt of El Niño phenomenon and it’s getting worse. In the span of two days, the damage and losses is estimated to have grown from P4.35 billion to P5.05 billion.
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol
But Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol is convinced that El Niño’s damage to agriculture sector alone has already reached its peak, and that the Department of Agriculture (DA) is ready to release as much as P2 billion for interventions and insurance.
Based on the latest report of the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (DRRM), the drought being felt across different parts of the country already damaged as much as 276,568 metric tons (MT) of farm output and agricultural areas of about 177,743 hectares.
Field validation is still on-going in the affected regions, but the drought already affected as much as 164,672 farmers and fisherfolks.
In terms of farm output, some of the most affected areas by the drought include CAR, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol Region, Western Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, Soccsksargen, and BARMM, while the most affected commodities are corn and rice.
“You have to understand that everyday that goes by that there’s no rain, there will be more damage,” Piñol said. “But we still don’t expect the damage to have an adverse impact on the national rice production”.
According to him, the DA only expects El Niño to wipe away only 0.63 percent of this year’s total rice production, which is targeted to end slightly above 20 million MT.
Piñol said the DA could easily release around P2 billion for intervention and insurance, P800 million of which will be withdrawn from the Quick Response Fund (QRF).
“Safe to say that right now we are ready to spend P2 billion. That’s the amount that could be used right away,” Piñol said.
Based on the report of DA’s Field Programs Operational Planning Division, Agriculture Credit Policy Council (ACPC) had already set aside P95.875 million as financial assistance to as much as 3,835 farmers.
The processing of documents for areas declared under State of Calamity due to El Niño (Rizal, Occidental Mindoro, Zamboanga City, Zamboanga Sibugay, Cotabato, Maguindanao, Negros Occidental) are ongoing.
Philippine Crop insurance Corp. (PCIC) also paid P43.083 million in insurance to 3,534 affected farmers.
Cloud seeding operations to affected areas are also now ongoing.
El Niño conditions are expected to last until end of May or June this year and could affect 42 provinces.
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol
But Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol is convinced that El Niño’s damage to agriculture sector alone has already reached its peak, and that the Department of Agriculture (DA) is ready to release as much as P2 billion for interventions and insurance.
Based on the latest report of the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (DRRM), the drought being felt across different parts of the country already damaged as much as 276,568 metric tons (MT) of farm output and agricultural areas of about 177,743 hectares.
Field validation is still on-going in the affected regions, but the drought already affected as much as 164,672 farmers and fisherfolks.
In terms of farm output, some of the most affected areas by the drought include CAR, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol Region, Western Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, Soccsksargen, and BARMM, while the most affected commodities are corn and rice.
“You have to understand that everyday that goes by that there’s no rain, there will be more damage,” Piñol said. “But we still don’t expect the damage to have an adverse impact on the national rice production”.
According to him, the DA only expects El Niño to wipe away only 0.63 percent of this year’s total rice production, which is targeted to end slightly above 20 million MT.
Piñol said the DA could easily release around P2 billion for intervention and insurance, P800 million of which will be withdrawn from the Quick Response Fund (QRF).
“Safe to say that right now we are ready to spend P2 billion. That’s the amount that could be used right away,” Piñol said.
Based on the report of DA’s Field Programs Operational Planning Division, Agriculture Credit Policy Council (ACPC) had already set aside P95.875 million as financial assistance to as much as 3,835 farmers.
The processing of documents for areas declared under State of Calamity due to El Niño (Rizal, Occidental Mindoro, Zamboanga City, Zamboanga Sibugay, Cotabato, Maguindanao, Negros Occidental) are ongoing.
Philippine Crop insurance Corp. (PCIC) also paid P43.083 million in insurance to 3,534 affected farmers.
Cloud seeding operations to affected areas are also now ongoing.
El Niño conditions are expected to last until end of May or June this year and could affect 42 provinces.