El Nino damages P151 M Ifugao crops

By Reuben John Rivero

LAGAWE, Ifugao -- The dry spell caused by the El Nino phenomenon in Ifugao, Benguet damaged agricultural products and livestock, resulting to a damage worth P151 million.

According to the Department of Agriculture, this estimated value was derived from the total cost of all damaged products.

This includes destroyed maize crops, which had a value of more than P30 million, and P65 million worth of damaged rice crops.

Additional damages include a P2.5 million worth of damage on high value commercial crops. According to the agency’s survey, about 5,700 hectares of agricultural products were destroyed by the dry spell.

Livestock production was also affected.

Farmers in the area started seeing possibilities of huge economic and agricultural problems when the water supply from rivers, streams, and irrigation systems were slowly decreasing, and eventually dried up.

This started around December last year, and worsened when the summer season arrived this year. There are about are 7,000 hectares of rice crops that are lacking water supply and might eventually die without urgent aid.

They also considered the possibility of lightening the situation through help from the government, for the dry spell can continue to destroy more products that can eventually lead to a huge economic crash.

In the released statement by the agency, a rehabilitation process for the damages can cost around P31 million. Immediate response and aid to the area was slowed down due to the political campaigns that were on-going in Ifugao.