Crop damage due to El Nino breaches P5 billion

April 2, 2019

Damage caused by El Nino rose to P5.05 billion according to the Department of Agriculture ( DA) Tuesday.

In its latest bulletin, the DA Disaster Risk Reduction Management (DRRM) Operations Center, the previous estimated crop damage was P4.3 billion.

A total of 276,568 metric tons of rice and corn crops were damaged by El Nino. The current damage is 43,562 metric tons more than the previous data.

Damage to corn increased to 47 percent or P2.36 billion. About 65,892 hectares and 55,827 farmers were affected, it added.

Estimated losses reached P2.69 billion for rice or 125,589 metric tons covering 111,851 hectares. About 108,845 rice farmers were affected.

"A total of P95.875 million financial assistance from Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC) was alloted under the Survival and Recovery Assistance Program that will benefit 3,835 affected farmers," DRRM said in the statement.

Region II or Cagayan Valley reported 28 percent crop damage.

It was followed by the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) which reported 27 percent of crops were affected by El Nino.

Bicol Region reported 16.54 percent damage to crop.

The Bangsamoro Administrative Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), specifically Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao reported 7.41 percent damaged crops.

"The processing of documents for areas under state of calamity due to El Nino (Rizal, Occidental Mindoro, Zamboanga CIty, Zamboanga Sibugay, Cotabato, Maguindanao, Negros Occidental) are ongoing," DRRM added. Cristina Eloisa Baclig/DMS