The damage to rice and high-value crops in Negros Occidental caused by moisture stress reached P16.2 million on Friday, April 22.
The damage from April to May was included in a report submitted by OIC Provincial Agriculturist Dina Genzola to Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson.
The report said damage to rice was P15,889,421 and to high-value crops – P323,220, for a total of P16,222,641.
The rice damage was reported in 26 barangays across Silay City, San Enrique, Bago City, Pulupandan, and Hinoba-an.
Damage to high-value crops was reported in Pulupandan.
Moisture stress is caused by a lack of water driven by extreme heat, Genzola said.
Lacson earlier said that mitigating measures are being undertaken, including moves for cloud seeding to induce rain.
A Task Force El Niño will be established by the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council of the Negros Island Region to focus on contingency plans for the forecasted strong to very strong El Niño, Donato Sermeno III, Office of Civil Defense NIR regional director, said.
Sermeno, who also heads the RDRRMC, said a national pre-disaster risk assessment was conducted on Thursday, and the advice is for them to conduct the same at the regional level.
In June and July, rainfall is still expected to be near normal in the NIR, Sermeno said.
In August it is expected that some parts of the NIR will be affected by a strong to very strong El Niño with below-normal rainfall, he said.
The southwestern side of Negros Oriental is expected to have below-normal rainfall, Sermeno said.*
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