2 Negros towns under state of calamity due to drought

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — Two towns in Negros Occidental have been placed under a state of calamity due to the effects of El Niño.

Citing a report of the municipal agricultural office, Isabela Mayor Joselito Malabor said damage to agriculture in his town reached P10 million and affected 12 barangays.

In Murcia, damage to 179 hectares of rice fields reached P8.29 million. Farmers in eight villages were affected by the drought.

The provincial government recently allocated P2.5 million for cloud-seeding operations.

Production losses in rice, corn and sugarcane in the province have reached P443.92 million.

Negros Occidental Gov. Alfred Marañon Jr. said they are not yet declaring a state of calamity in the entire province, noting that certain areas recently experienced rains.

Marañon said sugarcane farms are hardest hit with damage pegged at P366.18 million. He said damage to rice and corn fields is estimated at P76.64 million.

He said 1,268 hectares of rice fields and more than 1,000 farmers were affected.

Marañon said pests also attacked rice fields in Pontevedra and Cauayan.