MANILA – The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Wednesday said around PHP1.08 billion worth of aid has been provided to farmers whose livelihoods are affected by the impact of the El Niño phenomenon.
According to the DA's Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Operations Center's latest bulletin, PHP1.06 billion of the total amount was allocated for financial assistance in Cagayan Valley and Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan).
The DA also distributed PHP17.65 million worth of mung beans, hybrid rice seeds, corn seeds, and fertilizers, among others, particularly in Ilocos Region and Western Visayas.
"The Department provided hybrid rice seeds worth PHP7.87 million and fertilizers worth PHP7.63 million to non-vulnerable areas in Western Visayas, and corn seeds worth PHP1.16 million in Ilocos Region for maximization of production to compensate for incurred losses," the DA said in a separate statement.
Other interventions also include cloudseeding operations, distribution of 570 water pumps, improvement of irrigation canals and water flows, distribution of native animals, and diversified alternative livelihood technologies, as well as PHP10.20 million worth of indemnification grants.
To date, there are 54,203 farmers affected nationwide due to the El Niño phenomenon.
The total value of loss has already reached PHP2.64 billion, with the highest damage accounted for rice worth PHP1.72 billion, followed by corn pegged at PHP591.74 million, high-value crops at PHP326.68 million, and PHP59,600 for livestock and poultry.
In January, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signed Executive Order (EO) No. 53 to streamline, reactivate, and reconstitute the old El Niño task forces under EO No. 16 (s. 2001) and Memorandum Order No. 38 (s. 2019).
Under EO No. 53, the President instructed the task force to secure a comprehensive disaster preparedness and rehabilitation plan and ensure “systematic, holistic, and results-driven interventions” to aid the Filipinos and alleviate the devastating effects of disasters. (PNA)
