El Niño damage to crops nears P10 billion–DA
The El Niño phenomenon has wiped out nearly P10 billion in farm produce, according to the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) latest tally.
In an advisory on Wednesday, the DA said the prolonged drought has caused P9.99 billion in damage, up 16.6 percent from the P8.57-billion recorded on Oct. 21.
The latest recorded damage has reached almost half of the P20 billion in losses earlier projected by the DA.
So far, El Niño has affected 324,327 farmers in various regions, namely Cordillera, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Negros Island Region, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao, Soccsksargen and Caraga.
The volume of production losses stood at 288,424 metric tons (MT), spanning 323,419 hectares (ha) of agricultural areas.
Corn and rice comprised more than 92 percent of the total damage.
Among commodities, corn sustained P5.63 billion in losses, equivalent to 56.43 percent of the total. Damage to rice, on the other hand, was at P3.65 billion, accounting for 36.54 percent of the total.
Losses were also recorded in cassava, high-value crops and livestock and poultry.
The DA has set aside P18.64 billion worth of interventions to mitigate the adverse effects of El Niño, which is expected to reach its peak by year-end and persist until the first half of 2027.
These include P10.82 billion in farm inputs and P6.26 billion in financial assistance through the Presidential Assistance for Farmers and Fisherfolk Program, benefiting 2.69 million individuals.
State-run Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. is prepared to release P703.06 million in indemnification for 77,522 affected farmers, while P31.08 million worth of financial assistance will be disbursed through the Agricultural Credit Policy Council.
