Jade Mesias, Asturias’ municipal agriculturist, checks on the tungro-affected rice crop in Barangay Lunas in Asturias during a field inspection on Sunday. CDN PHOTO/TONEE DESPOJO
Only tungro rice disease-affected farmers included in the list of the Capitol’s insurance program can avail of the P15,000 per hectare insurance claim from the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp.
Ronald Saragena, Cebu Provincial Agriculture Office (PAO) chief, said that the PAO had been verifying the number of farmers listed in the insurance program, which the Capitol had been funding.
PCIC is a government-owned corporation tasked to provide insurance protection to farmers from losses caused by calamities and plant diseases or infestations.
Saragena said that although they have identified at least 66 farmers affected by the tungro infestation, not all of these farmers were included in the list of the Capitol’s agricultural insurance program .
Based on the assessment of the Asturias Municipal Agriculture Office, 54 hectares of rice fields covering the barangays of Bago and Lunas have been damaged.
Saragena said that crops affected by the tungro disease had no chance of recovery.
He pegged the estimated loss from the tungro disease at P3.2 million.
Aside from that, the PAO chief also said that the affected rice crops would be cut down and plowed or burned to stop further spread of the tungro virus.
The PAO also recommended that plants in the surrounding areas of the rice fields should be cleared to prevent them from becoming alternate hosts to the green leaf hopper, an insect which carries the virus causing the rice disease.
He also suggested that representatives from PAO would meet with farmers to present PAO’s recommendations.