Pangasinan farmers and fisherfolk lost P508,190,000 to floods caused by tropical cyclones Luis and Maymay, as well as the southwest monsoon that brought tremendous amounts of rain to the province.
Provincial Agriculture Officer Dalisay Moya reported to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan that the rice sector incurred the biggest loss, with 9,859 hectares tilled by 11,700 farmers going underwater for weeks, resulting in the loss of 11,800 metric tons of crops worth P354.6 million.
For the corn sector, 301 hectares virtually drowned in floods, leaving a production loss of P17 million affecting 714 metric tons of crops.
Moya said vegetables and other high-value crops were not spared either, with 318 hectares farmed by 941 individuals garnering a production loss of 2,680 metric tons.
For the fishery sector, 780 fish farmers from 16 local governments were affected by the weather disturbances, with reported losses worth P37 million covering cultured fish, boats, and fishing gear.
Moya said the provincial agriculture office is closely coordinating with the Department of Agriculture for crop seeds to help the farmers, as the provincial government had no available buffer seed stock.
But not all may be lost for the farmers who availed of crop insurance from the Philippine Crop Insurance Office.
Provincial Board Member Jerry Agerico Rosario said if the 4,000 hectares affected can claim P20,000 insurance for every hectare, that would be P80 million worth of indemnity for them.