Oriental Mindoro farmers to receive gov’t aid amid El Niño

Some 1,000 farmers in Oriental Mindoro are expected to receive assistance amid the devastating effects of El Niño to their farmlands.

According to Department of Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa, this will be through the agency’s no interest and non-collateral Survival and Recovery Assistance (SURE) loan program.

“Yung insurance claim about P20,000 per farmer. ‘Yung ACPC is about P25,000 na survival at recovery loan,” De Mesa said, referring to the Agricultural Credit Policy Council.

On top of the assistance, the farmers will also receive seeds and fertilizers.

Some P4 million worth of Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RFFA) is also intended to be disbursed to farmers in the province, De Mesa said.

“Malaking bagay sa kanila ‘yun dahil dagdag na assistance during may El Niño. Meron din ginagawang program with FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) para sa tinatawag na cash for work,” he said.

Two Oriental Mindoro towns, Bulalacao and Mansalay, are already under state of calamity due to the severe and prolonged drought caused by the El Niño phenomenon.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) estimated that El Niño has caused P1.056 billion worth of total production loss and cost of damage to agriculture.

State weather bureau PAGASA said they have observed signs of a weakening trend of the El Niño phenomenon across the tropical Pacific Ocean.  —KBK, GMA Integrated News