Capitol’s OPA proposes for

P74.6 M El Nino mitigation

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol Oct 26 (PIA) –In preparation for the long dry spell bought about by the El Nino Southern Oscillation, Bohol has plotted some P74,612,436.00 as interventions to farmers, aside from those covered by the national government, information from the Provincial Disaster and Risk Reduction Council showed.

The Provincial Government identified interventions include irrigation materials as a response to the potential destruction to crops as an effect of the El Niño’s dry season, some crop insurance coverage for those that are beyond the reach of the rationalized release of irrigation water and the materials for aid to irrigation, some support for5 high value commercial crops and vegetable production for farms away from irrigation canals and cloud seeding operations.

With this, National Irrigation Administration’s Region VII Bohol Integrated Irrigation System Head, Engr. Evelina P. Putong, is implementing systems to conserve on the irrigation water with the alternate and staggered planting and cropping to make sure every cubic meter of water goes to where it is needed the most.

Speaking to information officers who visited Benliw Irrigation System last month, Engr. Putong said that not all dams that NIA maintains have feeder water sources that most of these would rely on rains to supplement the water fed by Wahig and Pamacsalan Rivers for Malinao Dam, Bay-ang Creek for Capayas Dam, Panas Creek for Talibon’s Zamora Dam and Pasanan Creek for Benliw Dam.

Even then, a below normal rainfall, which is expected during the El Nino means lesser water available for irrigation, that is why they have to adopt measures to judiciously open the canals to get to farms needing such before the water seeps into the parched lands.

To this problem, Capitol’s Office of the Provincial Agriculturist proposed a P34,662,900.00 for the procurement and distribution of packages of irrigation materials comprised of a water pump, 8 plastic drums amnd 5 rolls of 100 meter polyetehlene (PE) hoses, to bring water from nearby sources to farms.

The irrigation materials package would only be given to a member of a farmers organization, cooperative or farm learning site with an access to water source and owns a sizable patch of cultivated lands, explains Provincial Agriculturist Liza Quirog.

And for those farms that are too far out from the water, Capitol is allotting P2,449,536.00 for vegetable production, Quirog continued.

These are for farmers who may opt to go for the production of high value crops that do not need much water and can be harvested in a few weeks, so as not to disrupt the supply need for these food products.

Then, if indeed the rains fail to come, considering the low probability of such as shared by weatherman Leonardo Samar of the local weather bureau, Capitol has allocated P7.5 million for cloud seeding operations, according to Governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado.

He fund comes from Bureau of Soils and Water Management and the Provincial Government of Bohol, gov Aumentado added.

Last week, the Sangguninag Panlalawigan Committee of the Whole has also agreed for the SP to green light a P30,000.00 part of the supplemental budget, for the payments of crop insurance.

Farmer in El Nino affected sites get enrolled with the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) for them to be indemnified, should El Nino wreak havoc to their farms.

The OPA said there are some 38,122 farmers eligible for PCIC coverage, while about 6,000 of then have been automatically covered with insurance in the corporation’s insurance to the poor program.

This leaves some 32,122 farmers without the PCIC coverage if they can not pay for the insurance premiums.

Of this, the P30M allocation would be used to pay for the premiums of 30,000 farmers, OPA said. (rahc/PIA_7/Bohol)

P74M EL NINO MITIGATION. For food security, the OPA through Liza Quirog is proposing a P74M mitigation fund to secure food for the island and its equally large number of tourists visiting the island. The fund would be used to pay insurance premiums, irrigation support materials, vegetable production and cloud seeding operations. (PIAbohol)

VEGETABLE PRODUCTION OVER INSURANCE? Malou Escalona of Egays Farm proposes funding vegetable production instead of paying P30M in insurance premiums, during the PDRRMC full council meeting. (PIAbohol)