Most
of palay, corn destroyed during 3rd quarter draught
 |
| A farmer-beneficiary receives indemnity check for his drought-damaged crops |
ALCALA,
CAGAYAN -The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and the Philippine CropInsurance Corporation (PCIC) is presently distributing crop loss indemnity
checks in favor of affected agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) who have
availed of the DAR-PCIC Agrarian Reform Beneficiary-Agricultural Insurance Program(ARB-AIP) in Cagayan province.
According
to Virgilio M. Acasili, Provincial Agrarian Reform Officer (PARO) of
Cagayan-Batanes offices (DARPO-Batanes has been annexed to DARPO-Cagayan), they
have already paid some of the farmers through Land Bank checks in order for
them to be able to at least purchase the seeds/inputs needed for the next
planting season without having to resort to heavy borrowing from usurers.
The
first and second batches of indemnity payments amounting to a total of
Php5,354,721.97 were made for ARBs in the municipalities of Alcala, Amulung,
Piat, Gattaran, Lasam, Solana, Sto. Nino and Tuao where some 718.98 hectares of
palay and corn cultivated by 449 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) were
destroyed by the draught. Another set of schedule for payments of crop
indemnity for affected ARBs in other municipalities have been calendared within
this month of October 2013.
The
ARB-AIP is a P17.1 billion crop insurance coverage plan between the DAR and
PCIC, an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture (DA), wherein the DAR
provides a premium subsidy worth P1 billion.
The
insurance program benefits agrarian reform beneficiaries who are members of
agrarian reform beneficiary organizations (ARBOs) in Cagayan province.
The
ARB-AIP will provide protection for over 224,000 ARBs and members of their
households nationwide who are farming around 330,000 hectares of land and
raising approximately 30,700 farm animals.
It
is a safety net for ARBs against losses caused by crop pests, diseases; losses
from damage of farm machineries; and also from the devastating unpredictable
weather patterns due to climate change.
In
addition, an ARB covered under the program shall receive protection against
loss of life or limbs under an Accident and Dismemberment Security Scheme. By:christiandsales
