P100-million insurance for ruined crops

Nearly 9,000 farmers whose crops were destroyed by last week’s torrential monsoon rains stand to get P100 million in insurance payments from the Department of Agriculture through the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC).

In a statement, Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala said the PCIC will put on fast track the processing and payment of crop insurance claims to enable farmers affected by Typhoon “Gener” and incessant southwest monsoon rains to plant again.

In a report to Alcala, PCIC president Jovy Bernabe said that based on reports of the agency’s regional field staff, initial crop insurance claims from July 29 to Aug. 8 have amounted to P98.73 million.

The claims were filed by 8,613 farmers, 97 percent of whom planted rice, and the rest (291) corn.

The insured farmers planted a total area of 14,711 hectares (14,260 ha of rice and 451 ha of corn) that were inundated.

Bernabe said he instructed the PCIC central office and field staff to hasten the processing and payment of the claims within 20 days.