Pangasinan: A total of 5,711 farmers in Pangasinan have been severely affected by weather disturbances from Sept. 16 to 30 this year, which also resulted in production losses worth an estimated PHP261.6 million, according to the Provincial Agriculture Office.

According to Philippines News Agency, Provincial Agriculturist Dalisay Moya, during the question hour at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (Provincial Board) session on Monday, said of the total number, 5,018 are rice farmers, 119 corn farmers, 551 vegetable farmers, and 23 from the fishery sector. "The weather disturbances Mirasol, Nando, and Opong have caused havoc to mostly rice farmers who are in their first cropping season," she said.

The weather disturbances severely damaged 4,578 hectares of palay or 10,168 metric tons and production loss of PHP142.5 million; 88 hectares of corn crops, amounting to PHP4.7 million production losses; 163 hectares of vegetable and other high-value crops plantation amounting to PHP113.14 million losses; and 11.8 hectares in the fishery sector or PHP1.63 million production losses, Moya said. She said they have a rehabilitation plan for damaged areas and affected farmers.

Moya said there are 61,578 bags of hybrid palay worth a PHP295.57 million provision from the Department of Agriculture for farmers planting during the dry season and 47,248 bags of inbred palay seeds for irrigated areas. "For the corn sector, we have available 152,165 bags of yellow and white corn," she said. Moya said they also have the forage corn planting in support of the corn livestock integration project in the Laoac dairy farm for farmers in the fifth district of Pangasinan.

"We have buffer stock that we can draw anytime. We also have fertilizer, pesticides, and assorted vegetable seeds, red and white onion seeds. We will coordinate with the local government units concerned," she said.