• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Dry spell caused by El Niño has caused more than P55 million worth of damage to crops in Negros Occidental, as of February 26, according to reports of the Office Provincial Agriculturist (OPA).
OPA officer-in-charge Dina Gensola, in a report submitted to Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, disclosed that 1,066.14 hectares of rice and corn land, and 1,213 farmers in 79 barangays of 10 local government units of Negros Occidental, have been affected by the drought.
Gov. Lacson, in a radio interview, said the provincial government has no plans yet to declare a state of calamity over Negros Occidental.
“We are being careful. We still need to study it. It’s still too early for such a declaration. Even the local government units in the 5th and 6th districts of the province are not yet keen on declaring a state of calamity,” Lacson said.
He noted that areas that depend on rain for irrigation are the most affected by the dry spell.
Cauayan had earlier contemplated declaring a state of calamity, with 17 of its 25 barangays experiencing drought, affecting 176 hectares of rice land and 197 farmers, with damage estimated at P14 million.
Lacson added that they have allocated P400,000 for cloud seeding operations, and they are coordinating with the Department of Agriculture in Western Visayas on identifying the areas that need it most.
Rice crops sustained damage of up to P55,255,071.89, while corn suffered P157,852.80 in damage, the OPA report said.
Of the rice lands affected by the dry spell, Kabankalan City was the most affected, with damage reported at P22,834,450.80, where 13 barangays, 505 farmers, and 431.60 hectares were affected.*
