Drought hits Cotabato cornfield, farmer sells at a loss
The DA has instructed its regional field offices to immediately respond to farmers who suffer crop losses.
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The DA has instructed its regional field offices to immediately respond to farmers who suffer crop losses.
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While rains continue to drench and inundate parts of Luzon, Mindanao is reeling from a different kind of disaster: drought and intense heat — fields left dry and yellow after more than a month without rain.
In Barangay Paradise, Banisilan, Cotabato, Roland Palconite’s nearly a hectare of cornfield had turned yellow, seared by the sun, and its small corns stopped growing due to lack of rain. The 43-year-old farmer is left with no choice but to cut the stalks down before they completely dry out.
For Palconite, that meant giving up on the corn he had planted in June.
In an exclusive interview with the DAILY TRIBUNE, Palconite said he and six helpers cut the stalks, on 3 September, as the prolonged dry spell made it difficult for the crops to recover.
“Even if rain came, the plants would no longer produce a good harvest,” Palconite said in Ilonggo.
He sold the stalks rather than allow it to completely dry up and become useless.
The first dump truck hauled about 4,120 kilograms of cut corn plants and were sold for just P2 per kilogram to a farm company in nearby Wao, Lanao del Sur, where it would be used as cattle feed.
For Palconite, the sale was far from what he had hoped to earn.
The yellowing field became a reminder of how quickly a farmer’s months of work can disappear when the rain does not come.
As a consolation, corns planted by farmers in April already grew and were not affected by the dry spell.
Indemnification
Department of Agriculture (DA) spokesperson, Engr. Arnel de Mesa, said that when El Niño comes, the nation wants to focus production inputs on areas that have irrigation and are not affected by the El Niño phenomenon which caused the dry spell.
De Mesa said during the Saturday News Forum that the Philippines has four types of climate and that not the entire country will be affected by El Niño.
“For those areas that are really affected by El Niño, we should not force rice planting because it really requires a lot of water. We need to really diversify,” De Mesa said.
Seeing a photograph of the drought-stricken cornfield in Cotabato, the concurrent DA assistant secretary for special concerns and official development assistance said that farmers affected by drought may avail themselves of assistance, including seeds, through crop insurance indemnification.
De Mesa told DAILY TRIBUNE that the DA has instructed its regional field offices to immediately respond to farmers who suffer crop losses because of extreme heat and lack of rainfall.
“Because we have a provision, whether it’s El Niño or typhoon, if they are damaged, they are eligible for indemnification in crop insurance,” De Mesa said.
He added that farmers with less than three hectares of farmland and are registered with the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture may qualify for crop insurance assistance.
The DA spokesperson also said the agency prepositions agricultural inputs, including free seeds and fertilizers, so farmers can resume planting once conditions improve.
“If they are ready to farm again, they should be given seeds like this,” De Mesa said.
The agency also has a Quick Response Fund for recovery and rehabilitation, as well as programs providing alternative livelihood opportunities and survival and recovery loans.
“If they want additional support for their livelihood, they can take up a loan without interest or collateral, and they can pay for a long period,” de Mesa said.
These interventions, he said, are among the government’s measures to help farmers recover from losses and continue their livelihoods despite climate-related challenges.
