MANILA – A total of 29,409 farmers and fisherfolk in six regions across the country have been affected by the El Niño weather phenomenon, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported Friday.
Of the figure, 18,039 are in Western Visayas; 6,323 in Cagayan Valley; 2,613 in Mimaropa; 2,015 in the Ilocos Region; 397 in Calabarzon; and 22 in Zamboanga Peninsula.
Meanwhile, the affected crop area has reached 26,713.4 hectares, with 13,363.39 hectares in Western Visayas; 9,013.29 in Cagayan Valley; 3,116.94 in Mimaropa; 1,026 in the Ilocos Region; 189.56 in Calabarzon; and 22.22 hectares in Zamboanga Peninsula.
Of the total, 23,916.37 hectares have a chance of recovery, or classified as “partially damaged,” while 2,815.03 hectares were “totally damaged” by El Niño, according to the NDRRMC.
Agriculture damage in all six regions was estimated at PHP1.23 billion, it added. (PNA)
