Crop damage from drought in Cordillera reaches P1B

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — Drought caused by El Niño has caused more than P1 billion in crop damage in the Cordillera region.  

The Department of Agriculture Regional Operation Center in the Cordillera said that as of March 22, some P1.18 billion worth of rice, corn, cassava and other high-value crops have been damaged by the dry spell.

Corn accounted for most of the damage at P958.92 million, followed by rice with P207.05 million damaged. The drought has also affected P10.8 million in high-value crops and P3.76 million in cassava.

Ifugao province was the worst hit by the drought (P470.6 million in damage) followed by Apayao, which reported P456 million in crop damage.

Records from Benguet and Mountain Province have yet to be finalized.

DA-CAR Disaster Risk Reduction focal person Lito Mocati taking a cue from advisories from Pagasa about El Niño warned months ago that the dry spell would cause more damage damage to crops than the frost experienced in the highlands.

Livestock, according to Mocati, are not spared by the lack of rain, and reduced stream flows mean insufficient water for irrigation. This leads to a reduction in yield and, in some cases, total crop loss. 

Aguinaldo town in Ifugao and Rizal in Kalinga were the first in the region to suffer the effects of El Niño, according to Mocati. — Artemio Dumlao