By MARS W. MOSQUEDA JR.
March 8, 2010, 6:18pm
Manila Bulletin

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol — In a move seen as an indication that some farms in Bohol have already been affected by the dry spell brought about by the El Nino phenomenon, at least 23 farmers in this province have filed for crop insurance with the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC).

PCIC 7 Director Dominico Digamon said the farmers, 22 from Catigbian town and one from Sierra Bullones, have started processing their claims last February. At the same time, he said, he expects more farmers to come to the PCIC and do the same in the next few weeks.

He explained that the PCIC puts premium on crop insurance as an aid towards fighting poverty and by that mandate, the agency is prepared to aid farmers recover their lost investments in crops and farm inputs if their farms are insured at a very minimal amount.

Digamon said crop insurance gives farmers peace of mind especially when the threat of natural calamities becomes real. “The insurance protects one’s investments and efforts when cropping failure occurs,” he said.

Moreover, Digamon pointed out, insuring crops allows farmers to be more open to new technology.

The PCIC insures up to P52,000 for a hectare of hybrid seed production, P42,000 for commercial production of hybrids and P39,000 for rice commercial production.

For corn, PCIC puts up P40,000 for hybrid corn and P28,000 per hectare for open-pollinated varieties (OPV) of corn.

Aside from crop insurance, when a farmer has his crops insured, he also gets automatic death benefits of up P10,000 for his beneficiaries if he dies and his crops are insured during the cropping term.

The PCIC, Digamon adds, also insures agricultural assets insurance for tractors, barns and buildings used for storing his agriculture products storage or mills; livestock mortality insurance for swine; cattle, goat and poultry; high value commercial crops like sugarcane, banana, cassava, commercial trees and vegetables; and provides term insurance power packages.

Farmers interested in insuring their rice and/or corn produce can seek help from municipal agricultural officers who are authorized for such inquiries, Digaman said.