Ilagan City (CNN Philippines) — This province has declared a state of calamity due to the effect of a prolonged drought in the area.
The province’s provincial board recently passed a resolution declaring a state of calamity following the agricultural damage caused by El Niño.
According to data gathered, thousands of corn farmers in the province have been complaining of losses due to a drought that has been affecting their crop for months now.
Provincial agriculturist Danilo Tumamao said more than 61,000 hectares of cornfields were already affected by the dry spell with a total damage of P705 million.
Tumamao said San Mariano town and the cities of Cauayan and Ilagan were among the areas which suffered the most by the drought.
“The local government has decided to declared a state of calamity to be able to use the province’s P123-million calamity fund to help farmers,” said Vice Gov. Antonio Albano.
Albano said the provincial board will discuss with Gov. Faustino Dy III the type of assistance that will be extended to corn farmers affected by El Niño.
“The assistance could be in the form of seeds or fertilizers, farm inputs, or cash assistance,” Albano added.
