AN estimated P58 million worth of crops were damaged because of weather disturbances in Davao de Oro, according to a Department of Agriculture - Davao Region (DA-Davao) official.

The weather disturbances have affected 2,990 farmers in Davao de Oro, from municipalities of Compostela, New Bataan, Montevista and Nabunturan.

“Mayroon tayong na-damage na total of 1,000 damaged hectares po sa recent LPA (low pressure area) then nag-incur siya ng more than 58 million [pesos] (Around 1,000 crop plantations were damaged because of the recent LPA which incurred P58 million worth of damage),” Joedel Leliza, focal person for the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction of DA-Davao, said on March 21 in a press conference.

As the crops were destroyed in their ripening and reproductive stage, Leliza said the cost of damage were computed in metric tons.

“Once they are in a ripening, reproductive stage, or maturity, ang costing po natin ng (our costing of) loss is metric tons,” Leliza said.

“Kung ilang [metric] tons ‘yung ma-harvest sana ni farmer based on previous planting, iyan po yung ma-aaccount namin, aabot ng 58 million (If we based it on the amount of harvest in terms of metric tons, that would be around P58 million),” he added.

The focal person urged provincial local government units (PLGUs) to enroll farmers in Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) insurance programs to receive subsidized fertilizers and seeds. ICE