• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Damage to agricultural crops and fisheries in Negros Occidental due to drought caused by El Niño phenomenon have reached P340,725,540 as of May 24, according to the report of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA).
In rice plantations, damaged was placed at P306,736,598; corn – P17,102,799; high value commercial crops – P13,330,121; and fisheries – P3,556,022.
It also affected 10,042 farmers tilling 6,904.25 hectares of agricultural land.
Losses in sugarcane production have not been included in the OPA report, but according to Manuel Lamata, president of the United Sugar Producers Federation of the Philippines, the amount has reached hundreds of millions of pesos. | GB
