Negros agri damage due to drought hits P490.4 million

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — Damage to agriculture due to the dry spell in Negros Occidental has reached P490.4 million and affected 4,283 farmers, according to records at the Office of the Provincial Agriculture.

The sugarcane sector was hardest hit, with production losses amounting to P366.18 million followed by rice, which incurred P94.02 million in damage; corn, P10.10 million; poultry and livestock, P3 million, and fisheries, P952,892.

Supervising agriculturist Dina Genzola said the Department of Agriculture office in Western Visayas deferred cloud seeding operations due to the expected onset of the rainy season.

However, Genzola said  P2.5 million would still be available for cloud seeding if necessary.

Aside from the drought, pests and crop diseases affected rice fields in Pontevedra, Cauayan, Pulupandan and Cadiz City, resulting in P15.83 million in damage.

Tree planting suspended

Meanwhile, the planting of fruit-bearing trees in around 1,000 hectares of public land in Pangasinan was suspended following the state weather bureau’s advisories on dry spells.

Raymundo Gayo, provincial environment and natural resources officer, said the suspension is seen to save money and effort.

”If they say don’t plant yet, we comply... We’re after the survival rate (of seedlings),“ Gayo said.– Eva Visperas