Agroinsurance

USA - Farmers concerned overnight freezing could harm crops

Concern is growing for farmers as overnight temperatures are expected to reach below freezing in some parts of Fresno county. "Depending on how cold it gets, it can be very minor, or no loss, or you get cold enough, long enough, it could be very devastating to a particular crop," said Fresno County Farm Bureau CEO Ryan Jacobsen. Jacobsen said crops most at risk include peaches, plums, nectarines, and almonds. He's turning on his micro sprinklers to help produce heat for his 17 acres of almond trees in Easton. "That water, what it does, it's releasing heat. So that water's warmer than the outside temp, that slight heat that's being released, it can be anywhere between 1-3 degrees can make the difference between damage and no damage," Jacobsen said. Jacobsen said the cold temps also prevent bees from flying which prevent pollination. Source - http://www.yourcentralvalley.com

Brazil - Soybean harvest falls further behind

The Brazilian soybean harvest is 17% complete. According to AgRural’s survey, the harvest is behind schedule, below 19% of the five-year average and 26% a year ago. The rains are damaging crops in some producing regions, especially in the Center-West of Brazil. In Mato Grosso, the largest soybean-producing state, farmers are hoping that the weather will help with the soybean harvest from now on. The high rainfall registered since the end of January in the region is damaging the fieldwork. “We have almost rains every day, and it rains for many hours. We really had a lot of rain compromising the quality of harvest. There are cases of crops that have lost quality and producers are harvesting soybeans with up to 40% moisture. We cannot even calculate the losses yet,” says Carlos Simon, president of the Rural Union of Lucas do Rio Verde, city located in Mato Grosso. According to him, there is sunshine, today, in the city of Lucas do Rio Verde. “Most growers complain of high moisture,” says Simon. “Luckily, today it stopped raining and the producer is harvesting soybeans with 14% or 15% moisture. We expect it to continue like this.” Simon says that even with excessive rains, the crop is considered good and the pace of planting the second corn crop is within normal range in the region. According to AgRural, Mato Grosso had a good harvest advance in the week, from 30% to 45% harvested. “The reports of soybeans with excess moisture have increased, but the losses are timely and, for now, do not threaten the super harvest,” AgRural said in a statement. The state of Paraná, the second-largest soy producer, has only 5% of its harvested area and is well behind last year (20%) and the average of five years (23%), according to AgRural. Source - https://www.agriculture.com

Africa - Heat and lack of rain worries Ivory Coast cocoa farmers

Hot weather and below-average rainfall in most of Ivory Coast’s cocoa-growing regions last week raised concerns about the quality of the April-to-March mid-crop, farmers said on Monday. The world’s top cocoa producer is the midst of a dry season that runs from November to March. A bout of rain earlier in the month caused many trees to blossom, but now regular rainfall is needed for the flowers to survive and small pods to develop. In the western region of Soubre, in the heart of the cocoa belt, farmers said the heat was sapping soil moisture. Data collected last week saw just 2.3 mm of rain, 4.8 mm below average. “The mid-crop will yield small beans if it doesn’t rain a lot over the next few weeks,” said Lazare Ake, who farms in the outskirts of Soubre. However, in the southern region of Divo, farmers said light showers last week would still help crops resist the hot weather. “For the moment there have not been many losses. Trees are loaded with small pods and we hope the mid-crop will be as abundant as last year,” said Amadou Diallo, who farms near Divo. Data collected by Reuters showed rainfall in Divo was at 4.9 mm last week, 4.7 mm below average. Farmers in the southern regions of Adzope, Agboville and Tiassale also remained optimistic. Similar growing conditions were reported in the center-western region of Daloa, producing a quarter of Ivory Coast’s national output, where data showed 1.2 mm of rain last week, 7.9 mm below the average. Temperatures last week ranged between 28.35 and 32 degrees Celsius, compared to 27.9 and 31.7 degrees the previous week. Source - https://www.reuters.com

El Niño could strike again

Already concerned Namibian livestock and crop farmers had to hear that the devastating El Niño-induced drought, which affected about 40 million people in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in 2016, is likely to strike again during the 2017/18 season. The El Niño-induced drought in 2016 was the worst in 35 years after the rains failed for two consecutive seasons. Severe drought conditions claimed lives and means of subsistence. Experts from the SADC Secretariat last week expressed fear that although good rains have been received in the northern half of the region, the lack of rain in the southern half of the region has caused delays in planting and harvesting due to water stress in some areas, including Namibia. Experts reported in the Agromet Update of the Early Warning System of Food Security on the deterioration of vegetation conditions in the south and east of the region. They also noted that the budworm outbreak has affected 20 of the 28 districts in Malawi, while Namibia was battling with fresh lumpy skin disease breakouts as well as outbreaks of armyworms. Only the north-eastern parts of Angola, much of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, northern Zambia, northern Mozambique, northern and central Madagascar and much of Tanzania have received above normal rainfall since November 2017. In contrast, most places in the southern half of the region, like Namibia, have received below-average rainfall since October 2017. November was particularly dry in most of these areas, while Namibia, southern Mozambique, southern Zambia and Zimbabwe received little rains in the first half of December. The hardest hit areas include northern and north-western Namibia, south-western Angola, parts of southern and central Mozambique, and southern South Africa. SADC experts also warned that a prolonged delay in the onset of rainfall can adversely affect crop yields by reducing the number of days available for crop development, and crops may not reach maturity before the end of the growing season. These areas have already begun experiencing a timely onset of rains, except in parts of Lesotho, South Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zimbabwe, where the onset was delayed by 30 to 40 days. Due to the generally timely start, farmers in many areas have begun planting, with reports of crops that are in the early stages of vegetation in some areas, the experts in meteorology said. However, some areas that received rainfall below the November average in early December, particularly in Namibia, southern Mozambique, southern Zambia and Zimbabwe, crops have been affected by lack of sufficient moisture, and it has been reported that some farmers are yet to start planting. This was confirmed by crop producers in Namibia’s maize triangle, Grootfontein, Tsumeb and Otavi, who said crops are experiencing moisture stress due to the prevailing dry conditions. Because of the drought, vegetation conditions have deteriorated in many areas. The image of the vegetation satellite index shows that many parts of the region had vegetation conditions below the average for the first of December. In Namibia, low rainfall caused the deterioration of grazing conditions in several parts of the country. As a result, cattle are reported to be in poor body condition in some parts of the country, although the cattle are in good condition in other areas. Source - https://www.newera.com.na

Nigeria - FG’s agric insurance cover for 3.8m farmers

The Federal Government recently announced its introduction of a new insurance policy for farmers to encourage more investment in agriculture in the country. The agricultural insurance, worth $500 million, is expected to mitigate farmers against risks like drought, herders’ attack and price shock, and similar shocks experienced by farmers in the country. The insurance cover initiative is a collaborative effort of the National Insurance Commission of Nigeria (NAICOM), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) funded Nigeria Incentive- Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) and the operators of the insurance industry within and outside the country. Managing Director of NIRSAL, Mr. Aliyu A. Abdulhameed, who spoke at a training programme to sensitise operators of insurance firms on the new index-based agricultural insurance, said the Federal Government had decided to increase insurance coverage for agricultural primary producers from 500,000 to 3.8 million in the coming years and that the training was part of efforts to nurture local and international partnerships to train insurance experts in Nigeria that would midwife the farmers insurance policy. Under it farmers in the country will be provided with cover to de-risk them against possible natural and man-made unforeseen incidences that would ordinarily deter many from venturing into investment in agriculture. Against the bad experiences of farmers in the country as a result of loss resulting from bad weather, natural disasters and other unforeseen circumstances experienced in agriculture, the new agricultural insurance is a step in the right direction and therefore a welcomed development. Apart from the difficult and tediousness of agriculture and the high financial outlay involved in it, a major reason why young people and even the rich stay away from agriculture, particularly large scale agriculture, is the lack of insurance to de-risk them against possible losses sustained as a result of bad weather, pest invasion, fire and burglary, attacks by herders and their cattle as well as insurgents. Across the world the agricultural sector and agro entrepreneurship are plagued with a lot of risks and uncertainty, a situation which makes most financial institutions reluctant to give financial support to farmers. And, apart from the use of modern technology for improved and quality yields per acre of farmland, agricultural insurance is a major reason why many advanced countries like US and in Europe are able to attract many of their citizens and entrepreneurs into agriculture. In contrast, only a few farmers in the developing world have insurance cover. This accounts for why millions of farmers in the developing world, in spite of their efforts, are pushed back into poverty by unforeseen bad weather conditions and natural disasters. In Nigeria, agricultural insurance is more relevant now especially with seasonal wildfires in the savannah and incessant attacks on farmlands by herdsmen and their cattle. With the introduction of agricultural insurance, it will reduce the losses sustained by farmers covered by the insurance. With agricultural insurance, more affluent people with appetite for large scale farming can now move into the sector to boost agricultural production in the country. Cooperative farmers can also take advantage of the policy to embark on large scale farming too, while exporters of cash crops will be able to get improved quality and quantity of exportable cash crops. Agricultural insurance will, no doubt, encourage more Nigerians to move into agriculture and thus boost government’s effort to diversify the economy and create opportunities to promote agricultural business and youth empowerment. However, details of the agricultural insurance policy are still hazy and being a new concept, there is need for more capacity building among insurance practitioners and among farmers too to enhance progress in the drive to achieve efficiency and effectiveness in index-based agricultural insurance in the country. Also, there is a need for more public enlightenment for peasant farmers, as well as for both small and large scale farmers so that they can key into the programme to take advantage of the policy and get into agricultural production. Against the background of many government programmes such as operation feed the nation and operation green revolution that failed in the past, this time around, government must ensure that it takes the necessary and adequate steps to endear the new agricultural insurance to the farmers, make it a reality and an enduring success. Source - https://independent.ng

Peru - Deforestation in the Amazon dropped 13 percent in 2017

A new analysis of satellite imagery and data finds 143,425 hectares of forest were lost in the Peruvian Amazon in 2017, down 13 percent from 2016. The analysis identified newly deforestation hotspots in the San Martín and Amazonas regions. The main causes of the loss of forest in the Amazon appear to be cultivation of crops, small- and medium-scale ranching, large oil palm plantations and gold mining. A recent analysis of satellite images gives a glimpse into Peru’s widespread deforestation in 2017. The analysis, which was produced by the Monitoring of the Andean Amazon Project (MAAP), found 143,425 hectares of forest were lost across the Peruvian Amazon during 2017 — the equivalent of 200,000 soccer fields. Deforestation was down 13 percent from 2016, but the analysis reveals new forest loss hotspots and conservationists remain concerned for the future of Peru’s forests. Satellite images of an area in southern Peru’s Madre de Dios region show the advancement of deforestation from 2016 to 2018. Images courtesy of MAAP MAAP’s report indicates the five most-deforested areas in Peru are spread throughout the country’s Amazonian regions, from Madre de Dios in the south to Ucayali and Huánuco and San Martín in the central part of the country to the Santa María de Nieva area in northern Peru’s Amazonas region. According to the analysis, the main causes of deforestation in these areas are small- and medium-scale ranching, large-scale oil palm cultivation and gold mining. Matt Finer, MAAP’s principal investigator, told Mongabay Latam that advancements in early deforestation alert systems have allowed them to quickly produce a complete panorama of what happened last year. “Historically, we had to wait months and years to know the levels of deforestation that had been reached every year,” he said. The amount of deforested land has increased to 3,220 hectares in Iberia in Peru’s Madre de Dios region.. Images courtesy of MAAP He added that the satellite analysis has allowed them to learn that the same patterns and drivers of deforestation are repeated throughout many different areas of the country. In the Ucayali and Huánuco regions, MAAP estimates that deforestation affected 23,240 hectares in 2017. “In this area, the main drivers would be ranching and palm oil,” the report states. Madre de Dios, one of Peru’s most-deforested regions, once held a large area of forest that has been lost to the Interoceanic Highway, as well as a deforested area along its border with Brazil. Satellite imagery shows a new deforestation hotspot in the San Martín Region caused by the cultivation of oil palm. Images courtesy of MAAP In the area around the Interoceanic Highway, deforestation totals 11,115 hectares and appears to be caused primarily by gold mining and agricultural activity, particularly in areas north of the highway. In Iberia, 3,220 hectares of forest were lost in 2017. In this area, the main drivers are the cultivation of corn, papaya and cacao, according to local sources. A large-scale agricultural project in northeastern San Martín resulted in the deforestation of 740 hectares during the last few months of 2017. According to MAAP, Peru’s National Forest Conservation Program, administered by the Department of the Environment, confirmed that there is a new oil palm plantation on the border between the regions of San Martín and Loreto. Another new deforestation hotspot is also located in the Amazonas Region, in Nieva District along the Bagua-Saramiriza Highway. In this area, 1,135 hectares of frest were lost in 2017. Deforestation in this area was due to crop cultivation and ranching, according to the report. A recently deforested area in the Amazonas Region. Images courtesy of MAAP Overall, MAAP found there was 13 percent less deforestation in the Peruvian Amazon in 2017 than in 2016. But experts still worry about the future of the country’s forests. Claudio Schneider, Technical Director of Conservation International Peru, considers the amount of deforestation in Peru to be too high. “Although efforts have been made to improve monitoring — because now we have more reliable data about deforestation — there still isn’t enough being done to stop the loss of forests,” Schneider said. He said that it is a complex issue, and that the Peruvian Amazon continues to be a neglected area with weak governance. “As long as people don’t work in a territorial way, in the titling of the land and in coordination with Indigenous communities and other sectors of the population, the Amazon will continue to be, a little bit, no one’s land,” Schneider said. He added that this disorganization is an open door for illegal activities such as mining or indiscriminate logging. Schneider says that to advance the fight against deforestation, the Peruvian government should launch a stronger land titling campaign for communities that reside in the country’s forests. Source - https://news.mongabay.com

Syria - Over 1.3 million Euro granted as compensation for damaged citrus

The Management of the Fund for Drought and Natural Disasters approved the payment of 862 million lira (over 1.3 million Euro) as compensations to citrus growers for damages caused in the 2017 season. Zahir Tuiti, Director of the Fund Branch in Lattakia, said that 30 thousand producers will benefit from this aid in all areas of Lattakia. Lattakia will receive 451 million lira (a little over 700 thousand Euro); Qardaha, 158 million lira (about 245 thousand Euro) and Hifaa will receive 83 million lira (about 129 thousand Euro). Source - http://www.freshplaza.com

India - Largest crop insurer delays claims as it is yet to receive subsidy

State-run Agriculture Insurance Company of India Ltd. has paid only 30 percent of its crop insurance claims as several states are yet to pay their share of the premium under the government’s flagship scheme. The insurer had received claims worth Rs 4,602 crore as of Dec. 31, of which it paid only Rs 1,371 crore, as per disclosures on its website. It took six months to more than a year to settle nearly three-quarters of these claims. “There is a delay in getting subsidies. Until then we cannot disburse the claims,” TL Alamelu, chairman and managing director of the insurer, told BloombergQuint in an interview on the sidelines of the Fourth International Insurance Conference in Hyderabad last week. “We are following up with the states and have also informed the government that the process needs to be sped up.” Crop insurance has become the third-largest business after motor and health for most non-life insurers after the launch of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna last year. The government increased the coverage from 30 percent to 40 percent of farm credit and increased the outlay by nearly 18 percent to Rs 13,000 crore in the Budget for 2018-19. India’s largest reinsurer General Insurance Corporation of India, which reinsured nearly half the AIC's crop business, also reported underwriting losses, partly due to higher crop claims paid in the quarter ended December. There were no agriculture claims in the first two quarters, Alice G Vaidyan, chairman and managing director, said at the earnings press conference held on Feb. 12. The reinsurer received claims for the kharif season in the third quarter, she said. Agriculture Insurance Company’s outstanding claims rose 28 percent on a yearly basis to Rs 3,301 crore as of Dec. 31. The lag in yield data due to inadequate crop-cutting experiments only added to the delay in payments, Alamelu said. Net incurred claims as a proportion of net earned premium stood at 93 percent as of Dec. 31 compared with 89 percent a year ago. If claims are higher than the premium earned, the company stands to make underwriting losses. “In adverse years (when crops fail), there is never going to be a profit,” said Alamelu. The insurance regulator should lower the company’s solvency margin — capital required to cover the insurer's liabilities, she said. The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India mandates 150 percent as the required solvency margin. GIC’s Vaidyan said underwriting losses from the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana could be minimised by increasing the premium rates and ironing out of delays in the results of crop-cutting experiments, she said. Source - https://www.bloombergquint.com

India - Hailstorm hits 35,000 hectare orange orchards in Maharashtra

Orange orchards spread over 35,000 hectare in Maharashtra have been damaged, thanks to the hailstorm that hit the state in the last couple of days. The crops were damaged just days before the start of harvesting season (Mrig Bahar) when deals were being finalised between farmers and traders. Orange growers suffered a double whammy as the hailstorm also affected the flowering for the next crop (Ambiya Bahar) season. Before the hailstorm, oranges were selling at `35,000 per tonne. Recent reports show an alarming rise in the area of cultivated land damaged by hailstorm and unseasonal rains — at least 2.71 lakh hectare crops were destroyed by Thursday, according to the estimates of the state’s agriculture department. Two regions — Marathwada and Vidarbha — were the worst hit by the adverse weather conditions which prevailed from Sunday to Tuesday. Most of the crops were affected in Vidarbha, Marathwada, Amravati, Wardha, Nagpur and Buldhana where the plantation was dense. According to Sridhar Thakre, MD, MahaOrange, the damage has doubled because the harvesting has been hit and flowering for the coming season has withered. The cost of production is around `25,000 to `30,000 per acre and the value of the produce is estimated around `50,000 to `60,000 per acre. And this is the extent of loss farmers are likely to face, he said. Moreover, a large number of farmers failed to meet the tough conditions imposed by insurance companies and had opted not to insure their crops. Around 25000 to 30,000 growers cultivate oranges for a livelihood. Exports could also get affected, Thakre said, adding that his organisation was preparing for exports of the fruit to Dubai and Bangladesh in the next few days. Around 5 containers ( weighing 24 tonne each) were expected to leave for Dubai soon, while some 100 tonne are exported by road on a daily basis to Bangladesh, he said. Of the total orange production from Maharashtra, about 35% is exported to Bangladesh, while Kerala and Delhi are the main domestic markets for the fruit. Total area under orange cultivation in Maharashtra is about 1.21 lakh hectare and the overall production exceeds 7 lakh tonne annually. The fruit is shipped to Bangladesh usually via road. Around 100-200 tonne are transported to Bangladesh through Kolkata on a daily basis. Last year, for the first time in many years, around 52 tonne oranges from Maharashtra were exported to Sri Lanka through the sea route. Bangladesh continues to remain the largest importer while exports to Russia and Europe are negligible. Out of the 7.5 lakh tonne oranges produced annually, exports were till now restricted to Bangladesh and Nepal. In the domestic trade, an agent brings buyers and the deal is fixed for an entire orchard for certain amount. These transactions are done in cash partly. The minimum farm size in Vidarbha is 5 acre and farmers could have easily received `15 lakh to `20 lakh for an orchard of five acre. But now, the farmers are worried about the sale of their produce. Source - http://www.financialexpress.com

South Africa - Stonefruit suffers hail loss

For South African stonefruit growers the 2017/18 season cannot finish soon enough. The reality of drought and lower crops have been with them for some time, but just as rain clouds brought signs of relief, unseasonal thunderstorms caused damage to crops in the Western and Eastern Cape. During three days this week rain, wind and hail hit certain production areas over a wide area. Industry body Hortgro said a further 200,000 cartons had been knocked off an already drought-hit plum crop. The total plum crop is now estimated to be 19 per cent lower in the mid- to late-season regions and the overall drop is expected to be 17 per cent lower than last year. In 2016/17 South Africa exported 12.34m cartons of plums, with this year's total now estimated at 10.26m cartons. “The damage mainly occurred in certain production areas (Franschhoek, Simondium, Stellenbosch, Tulbagh, Montagu, Langkloof) and was also localised within production areas," said Hortgro. "Although certain growers suffered great losses, it was not the whole industry that was affected.” The organisation said that the main cultivars affected were Songold, African Delight, Ruby Star and Angeleno. “The damage to the nectarine crop is minor. Prior to the storms 65 per cent of the plum and 75 per cent of the nectarine harvests were already harvested and packed.” At the start of the season industry sources warned that, because of the drought the mid- to late-season was likely to be more affected than the early crops. Recently experts warned that the packout on Songold and Laetitia were lower than expected. The interference of wind, rain and hail would be another unpleasant surprise. Source - http://www.fruitnet.com

India - Government announces relief for affected farmers

An intense hailstorm affected at least 15 Indian districts earlier this week. After this, more unseasonable rains damaged the standing crops of many farmers in those same regions. The state government on Wednesday announced 2 billion rupees (25 mln euros) compensation for crop loss caused due to the hailstorm in parts of the Marathwada and Vidarbha regions. Although details of crop loss from 10 more districts are still pending, the government has written to the Centre to provide financial help under the National Disaster Relief Funds. The current damage report says some 1,219 villages were affected and crop loss due to the storm is spread across 127,000 hectares. The report was based on the hailstorm impact caused on the first day. Subsequent hailstorms over the next two days affected 60,000 hectares. Reports are awaited from the Buldhana, Nanded, Bhandara, Gadchiroli, Chandrapur and Wardha districts, where assessments are still going on. Agriculture Minister Pandurang Phundkar said: “The compensation to farmers would be given as per NDRF norms for crops and fruits. The farmers who have weather-based crop insurance would get ₹23,300 (€ 290) per hectare for sweet lime and oranges, ₹40,000 (€ 500) per hectare for banana, ₹36,700 (€ 460) per hectare for mango and ₹20,000 (€ 250) per hectare for lemon. Farmers who don’t have insurance would also get compensation based on NDRF norms of ₹18,000 (€ 225) per hectare.” Source - http://www.freshplaza.com

Taiwan - Loquat harvest delayed by cold

Generally, loquats in Taitung County are the first to be harvested around the island, typically in early February. However, as of mid-February this year very few are ready for picking. Two significant cold snaps this year have pushed Taitung’s loquat harvest back. According to Yang Chao-hsin, a Taitung Area Farmer's Association member, the harvest season typically lasts from the beginning of February through the end of March. However, typhoon Nepartak inflicted heavy losses on the community in 2016 and since then, loquat production has decreased by 30 percent. The loquat trees regained strength somewhat over the last year due to a more mild typhoon season. Yang predicted that output will double this year. He expects Taitung's loquats to be on the market by the end of February. Source - http://www.freshplaza.com

USA - Hemp farmers advocate for legislation to have crop insurance

Hemp-derived product sales are expected to hit $1 billion by 2020, yet the U.S. farmers who are adding this valuable plant to their crop rotation are still denied crop insurance because of cannabis’ federal Schedule 1 status. But a bill introduced last year might change all that. HR3530, or the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2017, amends the Controlled Substances Act to exclude industrial hemp from the definition of “marihuana,” and for other purposes. Currently, the CSA excludes certain parts of the hemp plant, but does not exclude the entire plant, which means that hemp farmers abiding by state-sanctioned hemp programs are out of luck when it comes to getting insurance for their crop. Spring Hope, North Carolina-based Hemp, Inc., partners with tobacco and other farmers throughout the state who are looking to introduce hemp into their crop rotation; many farmers across America are seeking new ways to keep the family farm profitable. The hemp crop can produce a profit margin four to six times that of tobacco in North Carolina, Hemp, Inc. executives say. Source - https://www.farmforum.net

Philippines - Storm leaves P6.3-M rice damage in Negros

Three cities in Negros Occidental reported damage to rice areas worth P6.3 million from Storm “Basyang.” Records from the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist indicate that the cities of San Carlos, Cadiz and Bago reported 615.25 hectares of 541 farmers were affected during the two days the storm hit Negros. Bago, which has the biggest rice area in Negros Occidental, incurred the highest damage at P4,254,900 covering 411.40 has. of 338 farmers. Last month, the city also incurred the highest crop damage at P14,229,144, covering a total of 583.55 has, and affecting 337 farmers during Storm Agaton. Basyang also damaged rice areas in San Carlos with estimated losses of P1,890,300 covering 176.25 has, while Cadiz City had P174,032 covering 27.60 has. Provincial Agriculturist Japhet Masculino said other local government units have yet to submit reports of damage in their areas. The rice submerged in floodwaters cannot be recovered because most of it was already maturing, Masculino said. They are now verifying if the affected farmers had crop insurance under the Negros First Universal Crop Insurance Program or in the Philippine Crop Insurance Program, he added. Since January, OPA has recorded P27.7 million in rice damage from flooding in Negros, but Masculino assured its effect on the province rice sufficiency is “minimal.” He said that in 2017, Negros’ rice sufficiency was about 94 to 96 percent. Masculino said farmers should brace for the more rains and flooding because of the La Niña episode forecast this year. Source - https://news.mb.com.ph

Armenia - Farmers raise concerns: reservoirs and irrigation system need efficiency revamp

While Armenian Deputy Minister of Agriculture Ashot Harutyunyan has told Hetq that this year’s mild winter climate hasn’t affected the country’s agriculture in terms of irrigation, farmers, especially villagers in the Ararat Valley are concerned about the lack of recent precipitation. Harutyunyan says there is snow in the highlands of Aragatsotn, Gegharkunik, Kotayk, Shirak and Syunik Provinces, which will have a positive impact on vegetation. Ararat Valley residents argue that local reservoirs won’t have sufficient water for irrigation during the summer. Deputy Chairman of the State Water Management Committee Volodya Narimanyan says that there are some 80 reservoirs in Armenia, with a total volume of 1.2 billion cubic meters. Eleven of them are relatively larger. As of February 13, eleven reservoirs are filled only with 229.97 million cubic meters of water - 30% of their total capacity. Narimanyan says if the above-mentioned reservoirs are fullof water, and weather conditions are favorable in the irrigation season, the areas serviced by those reservoirs won’t lack irrigation water. In case of unfavorable, dry weather conditions, water scarcity risks can be mitigated by exploitation or re-use of deep wells,even by drilling new ones. Deputy Minister of Agriculture says that if 446,000 hectares of arable lands in the country are fully engaged in agriculture, even full reservoirs won’t solve the water deficit problem. Several new reservoirs are under construction or planned to be built to store the water flows in the territory of Armenia. For example, the French Development Agency finances the construction of the Vedi Reservoir (29 mln cubic meters), worth €90 million euros, of which €75 million is a loan. Harutyunyan notes that effective use of water resources is also a priority for irrigation water regulation. At present, the poor condition of canals and networks, as well as surface irrigation result in at least 45% loss of irrigation water. Harutyunyan says they are trying to improve the situation by advertising and consulting on the advantages of drip irrigation, as well as the vital need for water conservation. Irrigation systems efficiency and modernization projects are implemented at the expense of available loan resources. The Ministry of Agriculture developed a project, approved by the Armenian government in December 2017, subsidizing interest rate of loans for the introduction of drip irrigation systems and to make the interest rate of such loans less than 2%. The project envisages stimulating the introduction of effective irrigation methods in perennial plants -fruit and vineyards, high-value crops fields. During 2018-2022, there are plans to install drip irrigation systems in 1,600-1,700 hectares of land annually, which requires around 2.0 billion drams per year to subsidize interest rates - 2.275 billion drams in total. The Ministry of Agriculture anticipates both quantitative and qualitative results from the project - increased and improved crop yields, more efficient use of the country's water, energy and land resources, expanding cultivated lands, modernizing the irrigation system, improving efficiency of irrigation accounting and management, and so on. Narimanyan says that to increase water supply and irrigate new lands, there’s a loan project for modernizing irrigation systems, financed by the Eurasian Development Bank, the cost of which is around $50 million, of which $40 million is a loan. Source - http://hetq.am