Capiz loses P350M in rice crops due to drought

ROXAS CITY, Capiz – The prolonged drought caused by El Niño phenomenon has damaged more than P350 million worth of rice crops, according to the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) here.

OPA Information Officer Florie May Castro said that as of May 10, the dry spell ravaged P358,452,650 worth of rice crops.

OPA data also indicated that 8,883 farmers were affected by the drought that started in February 2019.

“The area affected by calamity reached more than 9,612 hectares, of which more than 2,726 hectares of rice crops are totally damaged and more than 6,884 hectares of rice crops are partially damaged,” Castro said.

If the estimates are based on the cost of farm inputs, the total losses in rice crops is at P12,173,070.

The local government unit of Tapaz recently placed the town under a state of calamity due to the negative impact of the dry spell on their rice plantation.

Castro said they are waiting for the latest weather advisory from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration so that they can guide farmers on what to do. (PIA-Capiz)