• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Dry spell brought by El Niño has caused more than P55 million in crop damage in Negros Occidental as of Feb. 26, a report of the Office Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) showed.
OPA officer-in-charge Dina Gensola, in a report submitted to Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, said that 1,066.14 hectares of rice and corn lands and 1,213 farmers in 79 barangays of 10 local government units (LGUs) of Negros Occidental were affected by the dry spell.
Lacson, in a radio interview, said the provincial government has no plans yet to declare a state of calamity
“We are being careful. We still need to study it. It’s still too early for such a declaration. Even the LGUs in the fifth and sixth districts of the province are not yet keen on declaring a state of calamity,” he added.
Lacson noted that areas that depend on rain for irrigation are the most affected by the dry spell.
The governor said that the provincial government has allocated P400,000 for cloudseeding operations, and they are coordinating with the Department of Agriculture-Western Visayas on what areas that need it the most. | GB
