Davao del Norte farmers this year will enjoy full insurance subsidy from the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation, Provincial Agriculture Office chief, Dr. Anastacia Notarte recently said.
In an interview during the recently concluded Farmers and Fisherfolk Day celebration in May, Dr. Notarte said that PCIC will be paying this year the full insurance premium amount of about P1,900 per cropping season per hectare.
Those registered as bonafide farmers of Davao del Norte during the 2012 Agriculture Census can avail of the free insurance premium of PCIC given to farmers of rice and corn, small banana plantations and high value crops, among other.
“But only seven hectares will be covered,” Dr. Notarte said.
In case of damage due calamities, the farmers will get P20,000 per hectare of the seven hectares covered with insurance.
“They would have money to use to rehab and plant again,” Dr. Notarte said.
She viewed the crop insurance subsidy of PCIC as great help to protect farmers from severe loss at the height of El Nino in October this year, aside from other anticipated extreme weather conditions brought about by climate change.
Offhand, she said some 12,000 rice farmers in Davao del Norte would be qualified of the PCIC assistance; 3,000 mangeo farmers; 7,000 corn farmers. She said small banana growers whose areas covered about 44,000 hectare can also avail of the free crop insurance premium assistance from PCIC.
Meanwhile, Dr. Notarte revealed high number of attendance of farmers during the three day Farmers and Fisherfolks Day held at the Bulwagan ng Lalawigan from May 26 to May 28.
Some 390 rice farmers attended on the first day; 416 farmers of high value crops on the second day; and about 300 farmers and fisherfolks on the third day.
The Farmers and Fisherfolks’ Day celebration is annually done in Davao del Norte in line with the Presidential Proclamation No. 33, issued on March 21, 1989, declaring the month of May as Farmers and Fisherfolk Month.
Source - http://news.pia.gov.ph
