At least P77 million worth of rice, corn, and other high-value crops have been damaged in Negros Oriental by the ongoing drought-spawned El Niño phenomenon, an official said Tuesday.
Alejandro Rafal, who heads the Department of Agriculture-Provincial Agriculture Technology Coordinating Office in Negros Oriental, said local government units began submitting their drought damage assessment report last week.
In Bayawan City, the total damage to rice and corn was over P30 million, with 792 rice and corn farmers affected.
Mabinay town also reported roughly P18-million damage to crops, with 550 rice farmers affected.
In Zamboanguita, the dry spell wreaked havoc on 430 hectares of rice and irrigation worth P27.9 million.
Drought was so severe in the area that it rendered a small irrigation system out of service.
In northernmost Vallehermoso, damage was estimated at P1 million, with 88 farmers of rice, corn, and other high-value crops and livestock affected.
Rafal said the reports have yet to be validated to guide the DA, Department of Social Welfare & Development, and the Department of Labor & Employment in the distribution of government aid.
Meanwhile, government interventions continue, such as the distribution of seeds for intercropping or temporary replacement in areas affected by the dry spell.
Rafal said there is a possibility that the cropping year, which regularly begins mid-April, will be pushed back due to the abnormal weather phenomenon.
On Jan. 19, President Marcos Jr. signed Executive Order No. 53 to streamline, reactivate, and reconstitute the old El Niño Task Force under EO No. 16 (s. 2001) and Memorandum Order No. 38 (s. 2019).
Under EO No. 53, the President instructed the task force to develop a comprehensive disaster preparedness and rehabilitation plan for El Niño and La Niña to provide “systematic, holistic, and results-driven interventions” to help the public cope and minimize devastating effects. (Judy F. Partlow/PNA)
