Farmers to receive P100-M in crop insurance claims

MANILA, Philippines – Insurance payments worth a total of P100 million will be made to farmers whose crops were damaged by floods brought about by typhoon “Gener” and the monsoon rain.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said his department, through the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp (PCIC), will fast-track the processing and payment of crop insurance claims so affected farmers could plant again.

PCIC President Jovy Bernabe said that based on reports filed by the agency’s regional field staff, initial crop insurance claims from July 29 to August 8 amounted to P98.73 million.

The claims were made by 8,613 rice and corn farmers and covered 14,711 hectares of plantations that were flooded.

Bernabe said she has instructed the PCIC central office and field staff to process and pay the claims within a maximum of 20 days.

Agricultural damage from Gener and the monsoon rain this week was last placed at P167.90 million. The amount represents losses in rice, corn, high-value crops, livestock, fisheries and farm infrastructure, according to reports gathered by the Agriculture department from 5 regions in Luzon and Visayas. These regions include:

• Cordillera Administrative Region (Abra, Benguet, Kalinga, Mt. Province);
• Region 1 (Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan);
• Region 2 (Cagayan);
• Region 3 (Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac and Zambales); and
• Region 6 (Aklan, Antique, and Negros Occidental).

The department noted that damage report from Region 4-A (CALABARZON) has yet to be filed. 

Earlier, Alcala said damage caused by the weather disturbances would not affect the Philippines’ rice production target for 2012 since the affected areas were still in vegetative stage.

The government has set a palay production target of 18.46 million metric tons this year, 500,000 MT of which will be imported. – Rappler.com