• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The town of Cauayan in Negros Occidental is eyeing the declaration of a state of calamity in the wake of the increasing number of affected areas and cost of damage to rice crops due to the dry spell brought by El Niño.
Mayor John Rey Tabujara said on Friday that 14 of the 25 coastal and mountain barangays were already hit by the dry spell.
This has affected 126 hectares of rice fields and sugarcane plantations owned by 127 farmers.
All over Negros Occidental, the Office of the Provincial Agriculturists reported that damage to rice fields has gone up to P14.4 million, affecting seven local government units, including Cauayan, as of Feb. 12.
A total of 369.11 hectares of rice fields planted by 383 farmers in 43 barangays have been affected.
Tabujara said he convened the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and the Municipal Agriculture Office on Thursday to check the guidelines for the declaration of a state of calamity.
He added that the municipal government is also looking into giving livelihood and financial assistance to the affected farmers.
The Office of the Provincial Agriculturist is now identifying affected farmers, who will receive P2,500 financial assistance each from the province to be used in the next cropping.
Most of the affected areas are rice fields or farmlands that rely on rainfall instead of irrigation. | GB
