Kabankalan City Mayor Benjie Miranda said an assessment is being conducted by the City Agriculture Office on the damages caused by the dry spell in 18 barangays of the city.
Miranda said they are considering placing the city under a state of calamity.
The mayor said the affected farmers are being helped by the city government to be insured with the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC).
"I am waiting for the recommendation of the CAO on what actions to take to help the farmers," the mayor said.
He added, “If the recommendation requires legislative action from the Sanggunian Panlungsod, we make the necessary actions.”
Miranda also said they have discussed requesting cloud seeding operations on the affected agricultural lands.
However, he said they are concerned that the rain that will be induced by the clouds will not fall on the affected areas or at least near the neighboring localities.
"It's not a highly recommended action to address dry spells," he pointed out.
They are also considering declaring a state of calamity, but it will depend on the assessment and recommendations, he said.
Miranda said that crops hardly hit by El Niño are rice, corn, and vegetables.
The majority of these agricultural lands are rainfed and do not have irrigation, he added.
Kabankalan City sustained the worst agricultural damage among eight local governments in the province affected by El Niño, a report from the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist to Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson showed.
The city reported damages of P22,834,450.80 with 13 barangays, 505 farmers, and 431.60 hectares affected.
The OPA report showed that damage to rice and corn land in nine local government units in southern Negros Occidental has risen to P55,412,924.69 as of February 26.
Rice crops sustained damages of up to P55,255,071.89, while corn incurred damages of P157,852.80.
The report also showed 79 barangays, 1,213 farmers, and 1,064.14 hectares of rice and corn land affected by the dry spell.*