ILOILO – The Department of Agriculture (DA) in Region 6 is ready to distribute 12,000 bags of palay seeds to farmers in Iloilo province affected by the El Niño phenomenon.
The distribution would be done at the start of the planting season in June or July, said Rene Pamoso, chief of DA-6’s Operation Division.
He attended a meeting of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) on April 17 on the possibility of placing the province under a state of calamity.
“We will prioritize farmers who suffered much such as those whose losses were as much as 50 percent. They will be the first to receive palay seeds,” said Pamoso.
According to the Provincial Agriculture Office (PAO) last week, losses in rice production reached P1,025,650,277.63 already, equivalent to 63,000 metrics tons, and the number of farmers affected 26,966.
All of Iloilo’s 42 towns and lone component city of Passi reported losses these past five months beginning October 2018.
Iloilo province’s losses covered 27,063.51 hectares of rice fields (7,495.42 hectares totally damaged and 19,568.09 hectares partially) out of 31,718.70 hectares of standing crops.
These could further increase, warned PAO assistant chief Elias Sandig Jr.
PAO had yet to factor the losses in other agricultural commodities such as corn, vegetables and livestock.
Data collection is ongoing to determine if a declaration of a state of calamity is warranted, according to Sandig.
The data collection may be completed before the end of April.
For the provincial government to declare a state of calamity at least 20 percent of the population must be ascertained to be affected./PN
