The Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Sunday that the government has already extended over P2 billion worth of assistance to farmers whose livelihoods were adversely affected by the El Niño.

DA said that P2.37 million worth of interventions were provided to affected farmers and fishermen, including financial assistance totaling P1.26 billion through the Rice Farmers Financial Assistance in Cagayan Valley, MIMAROPA, and SOCCSKSARGEN and P658.22 million worth of assistance for production support such as agri-inputs, fertilizers, planting materials, pumps, and engines rolled out by the DA Regional Field Offices.

Moreover, the DA said that various forms of assistance were distributed in MIMAROPA, including P8 million worth of rice machinery and equipment from the DA-Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization, P77.50 million worth of a survival and recovery aid loan from the Agricultural Credit Policy Council, P5.19 million worth of coconut seedlings distributed by the Philippine Coconut Authority (PHILCOA), P65.35 million worth of composting facilities from the DA Bureau of Soils and Water Management, P294.46 million worth of irrigation projects from the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), and P8.99 million worth of marine machinery and equipment for the same region.

Among the other interventions implemented by the government were the conduct of cloud seeding operations, the installation of water pumps to enhance water supply in selected regions, the improvement of irrigation canals, the distribution of native animals, the provision of diversified alternative livelihoods and technologies to affected fisherfolk, and the indemnification of farmers through the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation with a total amount of P67.93 million.

The latest report from the DA showed that the agriculture damage incurred by the country due to El Niño has reached P6.35 billion, affecting 121,389 farmers and fishermen with 111,702 hectares (Ha) of agricultural areas, of which 31,568 Ha, or 28.16 percent, are unrecoverable.

The volume losses from the affected agricultural areas are estimated at 134,828 metric tons (MT) for palay, 105,896 MT for corn, 28,956 MT for high-value crops, and 140 MT for cassava, totaling 269,416 MT.