The Department of Agriculture (DA) reported that at least 1.27 million farmers and fisherfolk have been insured between June and November this year to mitigate the impact of El Niño.
In a statement, DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said this was 76 percent of the department’s target.
He added that the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp., has set aside P1.8 billion to insure 916,759 farmers and fisherfolk between January and June 2024.
The DA chief also said P500 million worth of credit support under the Survival and Recovery Loan program was also reserved for 20,000 borrowers who may be affected by calamities such as the El Niño phenomenon.
Tiu Laurel, in the statement said the El Niño task force has initiated measures in response to El Niño, including repair and rehabilitation of irrigation canals, cloud-seeding, dispersal of farm animals and provision of alternative livelihoods to farmers and fishermen, and implementation of low-water-use technology for rice farming.
“We are leaving no stones unturned in our effort to ease the impact of El Niño on our farmers and fishermen as well as consumers,” he said.
Out of 843 kilometers of irrigation canals targeted, 740 kilometers have been improved and constructed as of November this year, Tiu Laurel said.
In addition, 40 units of small-scale irrigation systems covering 1,477.5 hectares have been repaired and rehabilitated to distribute water more effectively and efficiently, he added.
The agriculture chief also said the DA’s Bureau of Soil and Water Management has requested a total ₱112 million for cloud-seeding operations for 2024 to supplement the water requirement of standing crops during periods of low rainfall.
The agency also vowed to distribute 56,169 animals to 297 farmer groups and 470 individual farmers through the Philippine Native Animal Development Program.