Isabela placed under state of calamity due to dry spell

The province of Isabela has been placed under a state of calamity due to the affects of a prolonged dry spell, a report on Unang Balita said on Wednesday.

Millions of pesos worth of corn crops have been lost due to the lack of rain, the report said.

At least 23 municipalities have been affected in the province, as well as the cities of Ilagan and Cauayan.

The local government will use its calamity fund to buy seedlings and fertilizers for farmers to help them recover their losses, the report said.

The El Niño weather phenomenon, which scientists say may be the strongest in 65 years, has caused drought in many places.

El Niño began in March and is expected to last about a year. 

The country's agricultural output for the second quarter shrank by 0.37 percent as "intense heat" from El Niño hurt crops and fisheries output, the Philippine Statistics Authority said on Friday. —KG, GMA News