Drought destroys P340-M agri crops in S. Cotabato

KORONADAL CITY - Agriculture officials in South Cotabato said the drought has already destroyed some P340 million worth of crops, mostly rice and corn.Justina Navarette, South Cotabato provincial agriculture officer, said about P273 million worth of corn on its vegetative stage have been damaged in South Cotabato's 10 towns and one city. The dry spell destroyed beyond recovery about P273.6 worth of corn planted in 144 out of South Cotabato's 199 villages, affecting 5,506 villages. More than P67 million worth of 1,287 hectares ofrice fields were destroyed affecting 1,433 farmers in 70 villages in the province. Banga has among the hardest hit with 362 hectares of palay destroyed due to dry spell. The South Cotabato provincial government has declared state of calamity in Koronadal City and in the towns of Surallah and T'boli. The LGU did not declare the entire province under state of calamity because it has enough funds to cushion the impact of drought. About P12 million worth of funds have been set aside by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) for theannual work financial plan of provincial agriculture office.A total of P6.8 million funds have been allotted by Department of Agriculture 12 for seed assistance to affected farm families.