The Task Force El Niño said Wednesday that a declaration of a state of calamity is impending for a hard-hit town area in Albay.

In a televised interview, Task Force El Niño spokesperson Assistant Secretary Joel Villarama said that the municipality of Pio Duran will be put under the said condition.

At present, six provinces are declared under a state of calamity: five areas in Mimaropa, namely Bulalacao (San Pedro) and Mansalay in Oriental Mindoro; Looc, Magsaysay, and San Jose in Occidental Mindoro; and Zamboanga del Sur, specifically in Zamboanga City.

The latest report from the Department of Agriculture showed that the volume loss of El Niño-hit crops now stands at 75,092 metric tons valued at P1.75 billion, damaging the cultivated area of 32,231 hectares and affecting the livelihoods of 29, 437 farmers.

From the said volume, 48,332 MT accounts for rice losses worth P1.13 billion.