CUYAPO, Nueva Ecija - Some 1,300
hectares of ricelands in this town were destroyed by prolonged drought,
affecting some 800 farmers, the Department of Agriculture reported.
Dr.
Andrew Villacorta, DA regional executive director for Central Luzon, said the
affected farmlands are rain-fed areas
which neither receive irrigation from the Upper Pampanga River Integrated
Systems that operate the Pantabangan Dam or the Casecnan Multipurpose
Irrigation and Power Project or the Casecnan Dam.
Villacorta
said they started receiving reports of the dry spell 10 days ago. He said the
affected areas produce up to four metric tons of P17 per kilo rice.
He
added that the potential loss could reach P68,000 per hectare or P88 million
for the 1,300 hectares.
However,
Villacorta said losses could be reduced substantially if the affected farmers
will replant, adding his office has set aside P30 million worth of seeds as
calamity buffer stock.
Villacorta
clarified that the drought cannot yet be considered as the effect of the El
Nino phenomenon which necessitates a declaration from the Philippine
Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration for it to become
official.
The
DA has allocated P20 million to mitigate El Nino in the region although it is
still in the process of identifying the vulnerable areas. (Manny Galvez)
