By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The Negros Occidental Provincial Veterinary Office recently revealed the province has suffered P4.6 million in damages to livestock due to ongoing El Niño conditions, which AccuWeather describes as a climate pattern that raises sea temperatures in the Pacific Ocean and results in drought conditions due to reduced rainfall.
According to a final damage report, the poultry sector was the hardest hit, reporting P1.48 million in damages.
The province’s agriculture sector overall was hit with P480 million worth of crop damage.
Earlier this month, Negros Occidental provincial agriculturist, Atty. Japhet Masculino, confirmed there were 23 localities in the province experiencing a “dry spell” due to El Niño.
Based on the latest report at the time by the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist, local rice and corn crops had experienced around P109 million in damages. In addition, P300 million worth of damage was also recorded for the province’s sugarcane crops./DGB, WDJ