4,000 farmers file insurance claims for crop damage

OVER 4,000 farmers from different towns in Cebu have sought assistance from an insurance company after storms Queenie and Ruby damaged their crops

In an inventory of the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) as of December 17, 3,027 farmers have filed notices of loss incurred during Queenie while 1,027 have filed for what was incurred after typhoon Ruby (Hagupit).

Dalaguete leads the list with 784 farmers who sent notices for high-value crop insurance with Alcantara tailing behind with 282.

Among those considered as “high-value crops” are banana, cabbage, pechay, chayote, and onion.

Meanwhile, Dalaguete also has the most number of fishermen who have sought to claim insurance for  fishing boats at 47, followed by Ginatilan at 16, and then Argao at 10.

For rice and corn, however, San Remigio takes the lead at 497 farmers.

This is followed by Dalaguete at 304 and then by Bantayan at 300.

Towns which reported huge agricultural damage to the province, like Tabogon at P3.7 million and Daantabayan at P3.3 million, did not appear on the PCIC inventory.

Provincial Agriculturist Roldan Saragena earlier told reporters that the rice and corn crops had sustained the greatest damage after the two typhoons.

He said that the damage can be mitigated through the Province’s agri-fisheries insurance program, which PCIC serves as a partner.

Saragena said that each farmer or fisherman will get varying amounts depending on the coverage as agreed upon with the PCIC.

According to the PCIC website, pcic.gov.ph, farmers may get P41,000 to P65,000 per hectare for rice crops depending on whether these are inbred or hybrid.

For corn, farmers may get P28,000 to P40,000 per hectare.