By JEN BAYLON
The Negros Occidental provincial government has allotted P10 million in financial assistance for farmers affected by drought due to the El Niño phenomenon.
Chiqui Gonzales, head of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO), said around 5,000 farmers will each receive P2,000 in assistance.
Gonzales said they have already begun the validation process for farmers who have been impacted by the drought.
She said the PSWDO is working to fast-track the documentation process, ensuring that financial assistance will be released to farmers as soon as possible.
The Office of the Provincial Agriculturist reported that agricultural damage caused by drought in the province, as of May 8, has reached a staggering P302,224,913.33.
It has affected 8,285 farmers and 5,864 hectares of rice land in 216 barangays across 28 local government units.
The damage to rice crops was at P291,747,976.57, while corn crops sustained losses at P7,809,894.76.
Kabankalan City is the hardest-hit locality, recording P99,624,716.80 in damages, with 20 barangays and 3,430 farmers affected.
Other local government units that have been severely affected by the El Niño-induced drought include the cities of Escalante, Himamaylan, Bago, and San Carlos, as well as the municipalities of Cauayan, San Enrique, Candoni, Valladolid, Ilog, Calatrava, and Hinoba-an.
Price freeze
The Kabankalan City government implemented a 60-day price freeze on basic necessities amid the devastating impact of the El Niño phenomenon in the locality.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) approved the city government’s request to impose a price freeze following the declaration of a state of calamity due to the widespread damage caused by drought.
Mayor Benjie Miranda said there is a need to enforce a price freeze to control the prices of basic goods, such as sardines, milk, coffee, bread, instant noodles, salt, soap, water, and candles.
The DTI and the local government will also conduct price monitoring to ensure that business establishments will not take advantage of the crisis./JB, WDJ