El Niño Drought Costs Ilocos Farmers Nearly P158 Million, Hitting 5,862 Families' Fields
Rice made up almost all of the losses in three northern Philippine provinces, and Pangasinan has not finished counting, as the government points to a P1.5 billion El Niño plan.
See where this is ›MALASIQUI, Philippines —
The El Niño dry spell has caused about PHP157.87 million in farm losses in the Ilocos Region of the northern Philippines as of Oct. 30, the Department of Agriculture's Ilocos Region field office reported, the Philippine News Agency said Nov. 5.
The losses hit 5,862 farmers and 2,470.78 hectares of farmland in Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur and La Union, with 7,294.08 metric tons of produce lost. The Pangasinan Provincial Agriculture Office has not yet finished its own damage count, so the regional total may rise.
El Niño farm losses, Ilocos Region (as of Oct. 30)
Source: Department of Agriculture Ilocos Region field office, via Philippine News Agency. Pangasinan not yet counted.
Rice took by far the heaviest blow, at about PHP156.41 million. High-value crops accounted for about PHP1.39 million, corn PHP55,000 and livestock and poultry PHP18,000.
See where this is ›The Department of Agriculture said more than PHP1.5 billion has been set aside for its El Niño Action Plan, which covers preparing farmers, raising production in areas less exposed to drought, saving crops in vulnerable areas and helping farms recover afterward. On Oct. 30, qualified residents, including farmers in Sta. Barbara, Pangasinan, received rice sold at PHP20 a kilo, according to the news agency.
The report follows heat-related class suspensions at public schools in the central Philippines earlier this week, as the country braces for a strong El Niño season.
