The Office of the Provincial Agriculturist released P801,511 in crop insurance to 319 rice farmers and their multi-purpose cooperatives in five cities and 12 municipalities in Negros Occidental in the first quarter of the year.

Dina Genzola, senior agriculturist of OPA, also said the aid was released through the Negros First Universal Crop Insurance Program and the Weather Adverse Rice Area.

Genzola said the recipients of the aid are rice farmers from the cities of Bago, Cadiz, Escalante, San Carlos and Sipalay and the towns of Binalbagan, Calatrava, Cuayan, Don Salvador Benedicto, EB Magalona, La Castellana, Manapla, Moises Padilla, Pontevedra, Pulupandan, San Enrique and Valladolid.

She said NFUCIP and WARA offer protection to farmers against losses from plant diseases, pest infestation, and natural calamities and it also reduces the impact of losses from calamities and attain food security and agricultural productivity.

Genzola noted that since it started in 2011, the NFUCIP and WARA helped a lot of farmers recover their investment and prevent product losses.

Aside from rice farmers, corn and high value crop growers and fisherfolk, NFUCIP and WARA are now being offered to sugar cane farmers.

Genzola said sugarcane farmers may avail of the insurance at P30,000 for every damaged hectare.

Source - http://www.visayandailystar.com/