BACOLOD City –The Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) encouraged farmers to plant alternative cash crops amid the prolonged dry spell in Negros Occidental.
The alternative cash crops like vegetables will provide farmers an alternative source of income, said OPA officer-in-charge Dina Genzola on Monday.
“We issued a crop insurance advisory effective January this year. Since they have no source of water, they are directed to follow,” she added.
Genzola farmers in rain-fed areas were advised not to plant for the meantime with the onset of the El Niño phenomenon because their farms might not be insured.
“Proper timing is very important to ensure good yield,” the OPA official said.
There are 65,000 hectares of rice production areas in the province wherein 40,000 hectares are only irrigated while 22,000 hectares are rain-fed and the remaining three hectares are located in upland areas.
The OPA’s initial report showed around 400 rice farmers incurred crop damages due to extreme heat conditions as of last week.
According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, almost all provinces in Western Visayas will experience dry spell and drought next month.
Negros Occidental is among the identified 13 provinces in the Visayas that will experience drought by the end of April.(With a report from PNA/PN)
