By JEN BAYLON

The agricultural damage due to drought caused by the ongoing El Niño phenomenon in Negros Occidental is expected to breach the P200 million-mark, as the dry spell is projected to last until May.

The Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) reported yesterday that crop damage due to drought in the province has reached P197,153,844.

OPA said the dry weather caused P192.2 million in losses to rice crops, and P4.9 million in damage to corn.

It affected 3,752.94 hectares of cultivated land in 195 barangays.

A total of 5,125 farmers in 25 cities and municipalities in the province have been affected.

The report does not include the damage to sugarcane.

Cauayan town is the hardest-hit, recording P66.1 million in damages, or more than one-third of the total amount.

It is followed by Kabankalan City with P41.9 million, Himamaylan City with P13.4 million, Candoni town with P10.3 million, Valladolid town with P9.3 million, Bago City with P8.2 million, Ilog town with P7.4 million, San Carlos City with P5.8 million, San Enrique town with P5.34 million, and La Castellana town with P3.13 million.

Kabankalan and San Enrique were placed under a state of calamity that allows them to access emergency funds, especially quick response funds, to augment local funds for rehabilitation efforts.

Earlier, Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said he was still not declaring a state of calamity in the province, despite the majority of local government units incurred crop damage due to the dry spell.

Lacson said the provincial government has available funds to assist the farmers whose crops were affected by drought.

“There’s still money that is available that we can give out. Once we have started giving out, we will see if there is still need for more,” he said./ With reports from PNA / JB, WDJ