El Niño-hit farmers to get credit, insurance aid -DA

The government was ready to provide credit and insurance assistance to farmers and fisherfolk affected by the dry spell amid the El Niño phenomenon, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said.

“Ang gobyerno natin ay naglaan na ng P500 million na credit assistance, this is P25,000 per affected farmer and fisher and then yung ating insurance claims about P1.8 billion maximum of P20,000 [each] ang puwedeng ipamahagi,” Agriculture Assistant Secretary and DA spokesperson Arnel de Mesa said at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City.

(The government is allotting P500 million for credit assistance, this is P25,000 per affected farmer and fisherman. And then for the insurance claims, about P1.8 billion was allotted at a maximum of P20,000 to be distributed.)

Apart from this, de Mesa said the DA was also fast-tracking the distribution of P5,000 financial assistance to rice farmers and P3,000 fuel subsidy to both farmers and fishers provided under the national budget.

“On the technical side, of course, ‘yung pagpupursige natin sa alternate wetting and drying technology na ma-adopt nung mga still nagtatanim ng palay,” he said.

(On the technical side, of course, we are pursuing alternate wetting and drying technologies which should be adopted by rice planters.)

According to the latest data from the DA, as of February 25, damage to agriculture was estimated at P357.4 million.

Damaged crops were seen in farms in the Ilocos, MIMAROPA, Western Visayas, and Zamboanga Peninsula Regions.

A total of 7,668 farmers were affected by the El Niño. The dry spell affected around 6,523 hectares of farmland, with an estimated 11,480 metric tons for palay, 2,897 MT for corn, and 225 MT for high-value crops.

DA data showed the affected rice area was 5,011 hectares, while the production loss of 11,480 MT was around 0.12% of the target dry cropping season output for 2024.

As for corn, the area affected by the dry spell was 1,263 hectares or 0.11% of the total target area planted, while the production loss of 2,897 MT was 0.06% of target production for the 2024 dry cropping season. — DVM, GMA Integrated News