HEAVY rains brought about by the recent onslaught of Tropical Storm Dante and localized thunderstorms in Negros Occidental have caused a total of over P20 million worth of damage and production losses to the province's agriculture sector.
Final report of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) on Wednesday, June 9, 2021, showed that for crops alone, the damage surged to about P19.6 million.
The figure covers 1,113 affected rice, corn, and high-value crop farmers with combined areas of 1,077.31 hectares in 92 barangays of 13 local government units (LGUs).
The rice sector incurred the biggest amount of losses, at almost P18.57 million.
Hinoba-an was noted to have the biggest damage, P3.58 million, covering 114 affected farmers with 145.20 hectares.
Some 142 rice farmers of 190.68-hectare farms in San Enrique incurred the biggest amount of losses with P2.96 million.
In Valladolid, 82 farmers of 121.30-hectare farm incurred P2.82 million worth of damage.
Some 187 farmers with 140-hectare rice fields in Himamaylan City were also affected. They incurred losses of about P2.75 million.
In Moises Padilla, 51 farmers incurred P1.70 million. About 62.27 hectares were damaged.
It is followed by Bago City with P1.16 million worth of production losses affecting 256 farmers with 178.40-hectare farm.
In Cadiz City, 36 farmers with 34.22-hectare farm incurred P1 million in losses.
For other LGUs, Binalbagan has losses worth P601,640; Isabela - P486,038; Victorias City - P458,025; La Carlota City - P410,800; Pontevedra - P391,185; and E.B. Magalona - P236,005.
For corn, a total of 37 farmers with 13 hectares in the towns of Binalbagan and Isabela incurred almost P1.02 million worth of losses.
In terms of high-value crops, OPA reported P86,725 worth of damage in Cadiz City.
The amount covers nine affected farmers with an area of 2.5 hectares.
Provincial Agriculturist Japhet Masculino said affected farmers can receive an indemnity claim if they are enrolled in the province's crop insurance program.
Under the Negros First Universal Crop Insurance Program, which is in partnership with the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC), enrolled farmers can avail of P17,000 claim per hectare of damaged farms.
Based on the modified guidelines of the program, the enrollment premium per cropping season is shouldered by the provincial government as a loan.
For crop alone, the enrollment premium is P840 per farmer.
In the previous coverage, only P500 is being shouldered by the province while the remaining P340 is the counterpart of the farmer-enrollees.
If including the life insurance, the province pays P1,175 in enrollment premium per farmer to the PCIC.
Under the program, enrollees should apply for insurance before planting and farms covered by the program are those planted for not less than 25 days.
"They just have to file notices of loss so we can assess and validate their farms for insurance coverage," he added.
In terms of livestock and poultry sector, the Provincial Veterinary Office earlier reported damage worth about P583,468 due to the typhoon.