The state-owned Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) is urging farmers and fisherfolk across Western Visayas to immediately report damage to crops or fisheries caused by natural calamities to their Municipal Agriculture Office (MAO) to claim indemnity faster.
This renewed call from PCIC comes as farmers begin land preparation for rice planting with the onset of the rainy season this June.
Calamities covered under the crop insurance program include typhoons, floods, droughts, pest infestations, and other disasters that result in the destruction of livelihood, particularly rice farms and fishponds.
Glen Carbon, chief of the Claims and Adjustment Division of PCIC Region 6, emphasized the importance of early reporting.
“Farmers and fisherfolk must immediately report to the MAO, which will assist them in submitting a damage report to our Provincial Extension Office and Regional Office,” said Carbon.
Upon reporting to the MAO, affected individuals will be provided with a form requiring information such as name, address, date of planting, total area cultivated, and estimated input costs.
Photos of the damaged area must also be attached. PCIC will then conduct an on-site inspection to validate the reported losses.
Carbon assured that validation will be expedited.
“If the damage covers a large area, we deploy more personnel to inspect and speed up the process,” he added.
Processing time for claims typically ranges from 20 days to one month.
However, to be eligible for claims, farmers and fisherfolk must first be registered in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBA) by visiting their local MAO and filling out a registration form. Registration with PCIC is free.
Registered farmers and fisherfolk may receive up to P20,000 in indemnity per calamity, depending on the extent of the damage verified during the inspection.
The indemnity is meant to help recover expenses incurred on farm inputs, such as seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, insecticides, and labor.
Source - https://www.panaynews.net
