Farm land devastated by a typhoon (IT file photo) |
By Leilanie G. Adriano
Staff reporter
Laoag
City—At least 800 Ilocano farmers will be
selected as beneficiaries of a crop insurance the government grants to protect
farmers from the impacts of climate change.
According to provincial
agriculturist Norma Lagmay, Ilocos Norte, which has been frequently hit by
typhoon in this part of Luzon has been included in the more than P1 billion
fund the Department of Budget and Management released as financial assistance
to farmers around the country.
Ms. Lagmay said the
beneficiaries of the program have yet to be identified by the department.
The government’s crop
insurance program is meant to help farmers cope with financial losses once hit
by typhoon and other natural calamities.
A crop insurance is a risk
management tool, enabling farmers to become more resilient and continue
production despite severe weather and other challenges that impact their
business.
Since 1982 up to this date,
the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC) has recorded many catastrophic
typhoons, floods, droughts, plant diseases and pests that wreaked havoc on food
crops, resulting to multi-billion losses in the agriculture industry.
Early last year, the
Department of Agrarian Reform has also entered into a partnership with the
Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) to insure Ilocos Norte land reform
beneficiaries against crop damage or losses.
Like the Agrarian Reform
Beneficiaries-Agricultural Insurance Program, farmers are also protected
against losses due to pest and disease infestations, natural calamities and
extreme weather conditions brought about by climate change.
The program has accounted for
a P17.1 billion crop insurance coverage plan between the DAR and PCIC, an agency of the Department of Agriculture, in
which the DAR provides a premium subsidy worth P1 billion.
The P1.5 million in indemnity
payments were made to farmers covering 21 municipalities and two cities of
Ilocos Norte where some 900 hectares of un-milled rice were destroyed by
typhoons.
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