Agroinsurance

UK - Loss of pesticides could cost farming £1.6bn

The loss of crop protection materials from the grower’s toolbox is threatening the availability of iconic British foods, according to new research.The report, published by farm business consultant Andersons, concluded that the production of apples, fresh carrots, frozen peas in the UK could be hit to the tune of £1.6bn a year.A loss or restricted use of active ingredients in plant protection products (PPPs), which safeguard healthy growth, is blamed for the threat to some of the UK’s most iconic foods.The NFU warned that access to a range of crop protection materials was becoming “worryingly depleted”.Since 2001, farmers in the EU have lost more than half of the 850 active ingredients registered at this time. And the NFU is concerned that the remaining 422 active ingredients could be halved again in the next five years.For example, last year the EU banned the use of neonicotinoids on flowering crops such as oilseed rape, which has caused many thousands of acres of emerging crops to be wiped out by flea beetle this autumn.The report, commissioned by the NFU, Agricultural Industries Federation (AIC) and Crop Protection Association (CPA), looked at the economic impact of pesticides on UK agriculture and the wider economy.The Andersons’ report assessed that 40 active substances were deemed likely to be lost or restricted in their use. This included 10 insecticides, 12 fungicides, 16 herbicides and two molluscicides.The report, published on Tuesday (21 October), found that UK’s farming profit would drop by 36% from current levels, resulting in structural readjustment in the farming industry, if these pesticides were lost.The implications for the control of weeds, disease and pests in key UK crops would also have an impact on the gross value added (GVA) of UK agriculture, including horticulture, which would fall by £1.6bn/year.Andersons’ assessment of job losses in agricultural wholesale, the supply chain and the wider food and drink industry revealed up to 44,000 jobs could be lost if these active ingredients were no longer available.NFU vice-president Guy Smith said: “It is absolutely essential that farmers have regulation that is risk-based and that it follows sound science to ensure the farming sector keeps growing and contributing to the £97bn UK food and drink industry.“For this to happen we need government at both UK and EU level to put British food production at the heart of policymaking across all government departments.”Nick von Westenholz, CPA chief executive officer, said he hoped the report would make EU policymakers realise how imperative it was to make a proper assessment of risk and impact when they take decisions affecting food production.“If not, farmers can no longer expect to benefit from increasingly targeted and effective crop protection products as industry diverts investment away from Europe,” he added.But green lobby group Friends of the Earth (FoE) branded the report “dangerously misleading” as it lacked any credible, independent or peer-reviewed science”.FoE nature campaigner Paul De Zylva said: “On average UK fields are treated with over 20 different chemicals each year. It is not that there are too few chemicals available to use but that there are probably too many.”Peter Melchett, policy director at the Soil Association, said the report represented the views of the agrichemical industry and “completely disregarded crucial factors like human health, UK wildlife and the important role of pollinators”.“Any new policy from the EU should be science-led, and the assessment of risk not be dominated as it has been in the past by the commercial interests of chemical companies,” he added.Source - http://www.fwi.co.uk/

India - Farmers, orchardists suffer huge losses in Kupwara

The agriculture and horticulture sectors have suffered huge losses in district Kupwara, leaving formers and orchardists fretting and depressed.A report released by administration shows that agriculture sector has suffered losses amounting to million’s of rupees in the floods as most of the crop remained under water in Kupwara district .The losses to the horticulture sector have been assessed at Rs 100 crore in the district.‘‘More than 2,000 trees were washed away along with crops in the district worth Rs 04 crore ,” reads the report.“The government had made the assessment of damage only in the offices and no authority came on the spot to see the devastation in the areas and then make the assessment.” said Bashir Ahmad, a former.DC Kupwara Atrat Hussian told Rising Kashmir that government has announced free ration to flood affected people for the six months.“We will also revise the list of areas which are damaged in the flood,” he said.Source - http://www.risingkashmir.com/

Ukraine to simplify the quarantine certification

Ukraine needs to simplify the state regulation on the plants' quarantine. The Government of Ukraine decided to change the Cabinet Ministry Decree (#705) “On the certain issues on the achievement of the Law of Ukraine "On the plants' quarantine”.Besides, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine and the National veterinary and phytosanitary Service of Ukraine will prepare the changes for the Law of Ukraine “On the plants' quarantine” on the Ukrainian phytosanitary actions to the international standards (in cooperation with the professional associations and international experts) and to provide its public debate.Source - http://www.apk-inform.com/

USA - Harsh winter, cool summer deals deadly blow to grape crop

A harsh winter and cool summer dealt a blow to grape growers across the state, leaving some vineyards more than 50 percent short of their average harvest.Dean Bender, co-owner and winemaker at Lawton Ridge Winery, has been growing grapes for more than 30 years. He tells that 2014’s two-punch combo of a harsh winter and cool summer killed more than half of his grape crop.“In mid-January we recorded not only record snowfall…but we recorded temperatures down to 13 below zero for an extended period of time,” Bender said.The average haul at Lawton Ridge is between 36 and 38 tons, but not this year.“In terms of tonnage, we’re probably almost 20 tons shy of where we should be,” explained Bender.Lawton Ridge isn’t the only vineyard and winery suffering from the adverse growing conditions. The Michigan Grape and Wine Industry says it’s anticipating losses of about half the state’s wine crop compared to the record crop in 2013. Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio varieties took the brunt of the hit.“We hoped that some magical thing would happen and that we were wrong in our prognostication,” said Bender. “It turned out that we were pretty accurate.”Despite the crippling conditions, Lawton Ridge had a wild card.“In 2012, we had a bumper crop,” Bender explained. “It was a great year – we had heat; we had moisture at all the right times and we had extra grapes that we processed.”Because of its excellent harvest in 2013, Bender says Lawton Ridge will be able to cover its losses from 2014.Source - http://fox17online.com/

Kenya (Africa) - Shot in the arm for small-holder farmers

Experts in Laikipia are tapping into small scale farmers’ vast but unexploited potential to address food insecurity. They want to boost the local small-holders’ capacity amid fears the county is facing hunger due to crop failure.County Crops Officer Samuel Wagura raised the red flag last week when he revealed the situation was grim and that farmer education was necessary, given that over-reliance on rain-fed agriculture had proved counterproductive over the years. “ Laikipia is food insecure, with 95 per cent of people living in the south depending on the market to buy food this year. In the west, 50 per cent entirely depend on the market while in the remaining regions, up to 70 per cent are vulnerable,” Mr Wagura said.Speaking during celebrations marking the Word Food Day at Dhigithu Ward in Laikipia East last Thursday, Wagura said embracing new technologies is the way to go, saying conservation agriculture requires that farmers diversify production to minimise risks. However, he said, in most parts of the arid and semi-arid area, diversification remains a mirage due to poverty and limited awareness.Alive to this challenge, the county government has set aside Sh5 million to sensitise farmers on diversification. “This will enable farmers engage in horticulture since crops like cabbages and tomatoes mature quickly and help in shielding residents against hunger,” County Executive in charge of Agriculture Duncan Mwariri recently said.But to turn the tide, experts and various organisations have teamed up to build the capacity of rural farmers through information sharing and value-addition.They hope small scale farming, at the family level, can be harnessed to eradicate hunger and at the same time, preserve natural resources. Laikipia East Sub County Administrator Alex Mwangi attributes the situation to lack of proper forecasting on weather patterns, saying farmers should adopt new farming technologies like water harvesting for irrigation. He, however, was concerned about insufficient agricultural extension services.Against the backdrop of diminishing productivity, unpredictable weather and lack of insurance to cover losses, the stakeholders are now training farmers on information sharing, records keeping, planning and strategic search for markets.Groups involved in the sensitisation programme, some working under the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), say access to farming information, markets and credit awareness are key to stemming food insecurity.Experts emphasise livestock diversification, destocking before onset of drought, construction of watering points, improved grazing and planting of early maturing crops as important areas to focus on for food security. The Arid Lands Information Network (Alin) and the Kenya Organic Agriculture Network (Koan) are among those leading efforts to facilitate the strengthening of capacity among small-holder producers. Koan Production and Training Adviser Teresa Ndirangu said the network is using training institutions, churches, documentaries, exhibitions and other organisations to senstise farmers on the value of organic farming. She says the uptake of organic farming is growing at 25 per cent annually and that demand for organic products has grown significantly. She singled out the success of planting tea trees in arid and semi-arid regions.“We are discouraging unwarranted use of conventional fertilisers. Some are made of chemicals banned in their countries of origin. We end up being a dumping ground,” Ndirangu.Source - http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/

India - Crop loss due to Hudhud valued at Rs 24 cr

The very severe cyclonic storm Hudhud has impacted 247,558 hectares (ha) of agricultural land in Odisha of which 40,484.5 ha have sustained crop loss of over 50 per cent.A preliminary damage assessment report by the state agriculture department has pegged the crop loss at Rs 23.77 crore.The cultivable area has been affected in eight southern Odisha districts- Gajapati, Ganjam, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur and Rayagada.The crop loss area includes 25,170 ha of rainfed area, 13,374 ha of irrigated area and 346.5 ha of perennial area.The agriculture department has sought an assistance of Rs 4,500 per ha for crops damaged in rainfed area, Rs 9,000 per ha for irrigated area and Rs 12,000 per ha for perennial area.The damage to electrical infrastructure by Hudhud has been assessed at Rs 104.35 crore. The cyclonic storm had affected 773,691 electrical consumers, mainly in southern Odisha districts like Rayagada, Koraput Gajapati, Nabarangpur and Malkangiri.The cyclone has ravaged seven power transformers, 1,754 distribution transformers, 1,088 LT (low tension) lines, 2,500 number of 11 KV feeders and 125 number of 33 KV feeders. The state government is set to send the detailed report to the Centre shortly on damage inflicted by the cyclone.Source - http://www.business-standard.com/

USA - Crop insurance closing deadline approaches

Fruit growers in the Pacific Northwest are being reminded about the November 20 closing deadline for crop insurance for 2015 by the United States Department of Agriculture. The USDA also announced several changes to the multi-peril crop insurance plan for pear growers.Details about these changes are noted in the announcement below:USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) today announced program enhancements to the Pear Multi-Peril Crop Insurance (MPCI) plan for the 2015 crop year.Changes to the Pear Crop Provisions include:- Optional units may be established by type;- Revision to the actuarial structure for pear types;- Different coverage levels and percent of price elections that may be elected for each type in the county;- Revision to allow insects and disease to be insurable causes of loss unless damage is due to insufficient or improper application of control measures; and- Revision to the Fresh Pear Quality Adjustment Endorsement to include all insurable causes of loss.Fruit producers in the Pacific Northwest are reminded of the upcoming sales closing date on November 20, for apple, blueberry, sweet and tart cherry actual revenue history, cranberry, grape, pear, table grape, and stonefruit crops (apricots, nectarines, freestone peaches, and plums/prunes).Current policyholders and uninsured growers must make all of their decisions on crop insurance coverage before the sales closing date. If there is no coverage in a county for a specific crop under the traditional MPCI program, producers may be eligible for coverage under a written agreement. Producers should contact their crop insurance agent for more information.Producers are encouraged to visit their crop insurance agent to learn specific details for the 2015 crop year. Federal crop insurance policies are sold and delivered solely through private crop insurance companies and agents. A list of crop insurance agents is available at all USDA service centers or on the RMA website at: www3.rma.usda.gov/tools/agents.Source - http://www.freshplaza.com/

Australia - Farmers count cost of rain and hail damage

West Australian grain growers are counting the cost of a massive thunderstorm carrying rain and hail to the state's South West.Lake Grace farmer Mae Connolly told 720 ABC Perth her barley crops would suffer a drop in quality after being flattened by heavy rain."That's going to have a big impact on our crop quality," she said."They were about to be harvested, so it's too late for the rain to do any good whatsoever."Ms Connolly said moving floodwaters had also caused damage to canola crops."With canola, we cut it off at the stalk and lay it on the ground for a couple of weeks, so flood water moving through is not great for that," she said."We've gone from really good looking crops, we pride ourselves on quality in our crops, and that has been lost, there's a real threat that they will be downgraded to feed quality."Ms Connolly said what was expected to be a bumper crop would now be unprofitable."Prices have fallen over the years, probably most people were in the position that prices were low, but yields were looking good enough that this year was going to be ok, it was going to be profitable," she said."But suddenly, in a few hours yesterday, we've gone to potentially a lot of feed grain, which is just not going to be profitable, those crops will now run at a loss."Ms Connolly said no-one could see the heavy rain coming."With a drought you see it coming, it builds up over months, but a flood coming right on the doorstop of harvest, I just absolutely feel for everyone that's been affected by this," she said.Yorkrakine farmer Quentin Davies said the weather events had caused "massive damage" so close to harvest.He said rain and hail had cut a swathe through crops across the region, about 10 kilometres wide and 150 kilometres long."It's probably cut a path from, what I can gather Goomalling, south Dowerin, south Wyalkatchem, out through Yorkrakine and headed off east," he said."There was some pretty significant rainfall events, in some places in excess of 50 millimetres, and I think it was the time in which it fell- 20 or 30 mils in less than half an hour is a lot of rain."Mr Davies said while insurance could cover some losses, the situation was disappointing."We can insure against hail, which I'm hoping everyone has, so we'll get out of that OK," he said."It's a bit disappointing that you've put the work in and you've had a good crop sitting out there and you don't get the pleasure of going to harvest it."But there's guys further east here that really would have loved to have a crop to insure, and they haven't even had one, so I guess mother nature, we can't ring anyone up and I think that's what people want to do, they want to blame someone, the bloke we've got to ring up and blame for this, I don't think he's got a phone number.""We've all got choices and we've made a choice to be farming, we certainly can't control the weather, that's just part and parcel out here."Source - http://www.abc.net.au/

USA - New crop insurance program to benefit small producers

Small farmers and ranchers in North Dakota once unable to insure their crops will have the option in 2015.Previously, small organic, specialty crop and vegetable growers, like those who sell their products at farmers markets, may not have grown enough of each crop to qualify for insurance, North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring said. Under the newly announced Whole-Farm Revenue Protection insurance program, small and mid-size producers will be able to insure all of their crops, including cattle and other livestock, under one policy."It gives those people access who didn't have it before," said Goehring, adding that the new program does not follow traditional rules and guidelines.For one, it works off revenue rather than production, insuring against the farms adjusted growth revenue.According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture'sRisk Management Agency, the insurance protects against low revenue caused by "natural disasters and market fluctuations during the insurance year." Producers' historical tax information or an annual farm report, whichever is lower, establish the revenue basis for coverage, guaranteeing a set amount of revenue for the insurance period.If expenses go up unexpectedly and price goes down, causing revenue to deviate from previous levels, it could trigger a claim, Goehring said."Which is fair because they did not make the money they were insured for," said Goehring, explaining there are many producers in the state who are going to be in that type of situation this year.A lot are going to lose money, even if they had fair to good quality yields, due to the drop in prices, he said.Goehring said many agricultural lenders are nervous because many loans were made in the past couple of years when prices were high."We're going to struggle breaking even this year," he said of his own farm.With the whole-farm coverage, those smaller producers won't face that dilemma.Goehring said the new program also is different because farmers with a wider diversity of crops will pay less of a premium. Those with more will have a cheaper plan.On top of premium discounts, the program offers those with at least two types of crops a subsidy, according to the RMA. For example the secondary crop must make up 16.7 percent of the farm's revenue. That percentage varies with the number of crops produced. Livestock and greenhouse plants also are each limited to 35 percent of total farm revenue. If those percentage requirements are met, RMA will subsidize up to 80 percent of the premium, leaving the farmer to pay the remaining 20 percent.Another benefit is farmers and ranchers will only have to buy one plan, Goehring said. Typically producers must insure each crop separately."That gives them the option of promoting crop diversity and helps support the production of a wider variety of healthy foods," RMA administrator Brandon Willis said in a statement.Finally, farmers will be able to purchase insurance coverage at different levels. Coverage levels could range from 50 to 85 percent. The maximum coverage amount is $8.5 million.Goehring said the whole farm program is new but the state started asking for a similar program several years ago when organic and vegetable producers expressed interest in coverage. He said this program will also be nice for livestock producers who may not have considered it previously.The policy will be offered as a pilot program to start for the 2015 insurance year."We're going to be one of the states in that pilot program," Goehring said.Source - http://insurancenewsnet.com/

Australia - WA farmers hit hard by weather with five per cent loss across state

The weekend's wild weather may have surprised Perth's northern suburbs hard but WA farmers have been hit harder - with an estimated five per cent yield loss around the state.WA Farmers Federation senior vice president Tony York said grain losses on some farms could be as high as 20 per cent.He said the loss would be particularly hard to swallow at a stage when, just before harvest, the money from the damaged grain would have effectively been "in the bank".Mr York said Condingup, Dumbleyung and Lake Grace had been hit the hardest and although some farms had escaped unscathed, the loss across the board for WA farmers could be as high as five per cent."It was patchy rain over the weekend but in the places it hit, it hit relatively hard and there are going to be issues with waterlogging and degradation of quality," he said."Some of the crop in the south was still green so the damage isn't too bad, but where the crop has ripened off, it's definitely affected the grain quality. Malting barley is now going to be feed barley, some of the premium wheats will be downgraded.""There are isolated patches where there has been hail damage."Across the state it will be less, about five per cent in loss of value across the whole grain crop. It's not what you want at this time of year, because you're almost at the stage where that money is in the bank."That's the risk that comes with farming though, it's just a really unfortunate situation. Some farmers will have devastating losses, some will see this as a minor inconvenience...it's a really mixed bag."Source - http://www.watoday.com.au/

USA - Colorado farmers urge USDA to implement drought relief as promised

The Colorado Corn Growers Association is calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to implement a Farm Bill provision crafted by Congress to grant relief to Colorado farm families who have faced multiple years of severe drought.We are extremely disappointed that USDA has put drought relief on the back burner. This relief should have been made available to Colorado farm families already this spring, but USDA is now talking about a two-year delay.This is unacceptable.The provision requires USDA to allow producers to exclude a yield in a year when the yield for the county is 50 percent or less than the 10-year average as the result of an extreme natural disaster.The effect of the provision is to allow a producer to buy enough insurance coverage to adequately cover future crops. Producers who exclude a yield under the provision must pay additional premium in order to cover any increased liability.The provision became law on Feb. 7, 2014, but USDA has stepped in to delay the availability of relief until 2016. When natural disasters strike the coasts, Washington responds pretty quickly. Why then, when farm families in places like Colorado are dealing with several years of disastrous drought, does the USDA not seem to have that same sense of urgency?We hope that our Colorado senators and congressmen will work to get USDA to finally take notice of our situation out here.We took a lot of cuts in the Farm Bill with the understanding that we would have some other tools to work with. So far, we kept our end of the bargain. We just need to the USDA to keep their end of it as well.Source - http://www.agjournalonline.com/

Canada - Alberta has experienced heavy hail damage in certain areas

Alberta has experienced heavy hail damage in certain areas across the province again this growing season. On-farm hail inspections continue to be prioritized by storm date and clients will be contacted by an AFSC Inspector prior to the hail inspection. Claim volumes are being monitored at a provincial level and inspectors are being deployed to maintain a similar level of service throughout the province.Clients who want to harvest their affected acres, or put them to an alternate use prior to an inspection are advised to contact their local AFSC Branch, if they haven’t already done so. Branch staff will advise these clients what they need to do to ensure they remain eligible for hail coverage.Source - http://afsc.ca/

Chilean producers crushed by second consecutive year of frosts

Lightning seems to have struck twice in Chile as frosts last week devastated crops in some southern growing regions, with one large producer estimating between 30-100% crop loss for fruits including kiwifruit, blueberries, cherries and apples.The poor weather came roughly one year after severe frosts wreaked havoc on almost the entire Chilean agricultural industry.Producer and exporter Special T co-owner Gonzalo Ruiz-Tagle told frosts that occurred between Oct. 8-9 damaged crop production across roughly a 250-mile stretch between Molina in the VII region and Temuco in the IX region.“From my understanding, and from what I have seen on my farms, blueberry losses are at around 70%, mainly for the varieties O´Neal, Brigitta, Cameillas, Duke, Star, Jewel, Legacy, and Brightwell, and to a lesser extent the later varieties,” he said.He said about 50% of Pink Lady apples had also been lost, along with 30% of cherries.For kiwifruit the figure was somewhere between 80-100%.“On the subject of blueberries, at least for me – and according to analysis carried out by grower associations – the losses will be over 10,000 metric tons [MT] and will affect production until January in these regions,” Ruiz-Tagle said.“For apples I still don’t have all the information – we’re currently working on that.”“This was completely unexpected – absolutely no one had predicted this. On October 9 it wasn’t that cold – maybe -1,5°C to -2° [29°F to 28°F] to - but it lasted for hours, maybe three or four hours.”He said that during the day the weather had been sunny and windy, which had probably led to lower humidity which produced an effect known as ‘black frost’, damaging the plants.After the cold weather Ruiz-Tagle immediately started assessing the damage, finishing a few days later on Tuesday (Oct. 14).He concluded that over 60-mile stretch of land between Linares and Chillan there would likely have been crop losses of around 60-70%.“I think that much of fruit still hasn’t shown a lot of damage because it’s still growing, unfortunately. Fruit that was bigger than about 8 millimeters will keep growing, but it will have a poor internal quality,” Ruiz-Tagle said.According to the Special T co-owner, some producers in the region did have frost protection systems, but they had not turned them on as the cold temperatures had not been anticipated.He said he was particularly concerned for the 1,500-2000 smaller farmers in the regions who may well have lost everything, and probably wouldn’t have had insurance like bigger producers.Ruiz-Tagle also alleged that the authorities’ response to the situation had thus far been inadequate, and he therefore wanted to spread the information to raise awareness.Source - http://www.freshfruitportal.com/

India - Coconut trees, betel farms ruined in Vizianagaram

The Hudhud cyclone had totally changed the lives of the people of the coastal villages in Vizianagaram district. The poor fishermen and small farmers are totally devastated by the cyclone.They have lost their homes, crops and other assets and are left with nothing.Hundreds of acres of coconut trees were totally destroyed in Pativada in Pusapatirega mandal.K. Satyam, a farmer of Pativada said, “I have been growing these coconut trees for the past 10 years. Now the trees in six acres were totally destroyed. Coconut is the main income source for the farmers of this mandal. We get the income every three months from these trees. We get around Rs 50,000 as income. Now I have lost all the income and I don’t think these trees will come into life again. We don’t have the insurance. The government had announced the compensation Rs 1,000 per each tree, but what is the use of it as we have lost all hopes.”Maize crop in hundreds of acres was also ruined.Farmers of betel leaves are affected and lost their crops in Nellimarla mandal.Around 30 families are into betel leaves farming in Kothapeta in Vizianagaram district. The gale washed away the plants. They are farming the crop in around 12 acres. Twice a week they cut the leaves and send it to the market. But now they have lost their crop.K Narayana, farmer of betel leaves said, “I spend around Rs 20,000 on these plants. I protected all the plants from hot summer by providing shade and water regularly. But now I could not save my crop. I am in deep trouble now.”Source - http://www.deccanchronicle.com/

Philippines - PCIC brings good news to farmers

“We are bringing the good news to your province”, said Antonio S. Uy III, Assistant Vice President (AVP) of Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) as he approached Governor Johnny T. Pimentel during his courtesy call recently at Provincial Governor’s Office, Capitol Hills, Telaje here.AVP Uy, introduced to the governor the subsidy program of PCIC amounting to P1,183,177,000 appropriated herein as subsidy for the PCIC and shall be used exclusively for the full cost of insurance premiums of subsistence farmers and fisherfolks for any of the following types of insurance; crop, livelihood, fisheries, non-crop agricultural asset, provided that the PCIC shall ensure that the said subsistence farmers and fisherfolks are registered under Registry System on Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) and are not receiving any other subsidy for the foregoing types of insurance from the local government.According to AVP Uy, there were 95,000 farmers and fisherfolks registered in the data bank of RSBSA of PCIC in the province of Surigao del Sur. It means lot of them will be benefitted with this subsidy program.“Insurance for free? That’s a real good news”, Governor Pimentel uttered. “The province of Surigao del Sur is prone to typhoons and other calamities, therefore, it is an ideal approach if their crops, livestock, etc. will be insured”, he added.Marcos M. Quico, Provincial Agriculturist (PA) also commended and willing to adhere such requirements and assistance to PCIC if they need support in any matters involving the program.He added that, Crops Division in the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist already prepared a complete listing of these identified farmers and ready for validation.With governor Pimentel’s marching order, the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist headed Quico, will promptly validate and submit the listing before end of the year for possible funding accommodation from PCIC.The governor also urged PA Quico to coordinate with the Municipal Agriculturist to hasten up the process.There were two provinces tapped by PCIC regarding the program, Agusan del Sur is the other one in which around 105,000 farmers and fisherfolks listed in RSBSA. These two provinces were having the most number of registered possible beneficiaries, emphasized by Manuel Cortina, PCIC staff assigned to handle these two provinces. He also added, that it is also allowed having multiple insurances for farmers with multiple commodity, no limitations as long as it follows with the rules and guidelines.At exactly 5:00 in the afternoon, AVP Uy and company departed the province with great expectations to meet the target before December 31, 2014 as date of deadline for the submission of the aforementioned farmers and fisherfolks listing.Source - http://news.pia.gov.ph/