The City Agriculturist Office (cAgrO) called on farmers across Davao City to obtain and renew their plant insurance to lessen the financial risks they may face during natural disasters.
Bing Almador, Focal Person of the CAgrO, said farmers who have at least a quarter of a hectare land, 25 trees, and maximum of seven hectares of farmland are eligible for the insurance.
Amador, however, said the farmers must first be registered with the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA).
Despite being a one-time registration, she noted, the registry system still needs to be updated, especially if farmers are growing new crops.
“Free na siya, ang imoha lang gyud is mugahin lang gyud ang farmer og panahon para mu-apply (It’s free, all you have to do is spare a time to apply),” she said.
She said the RCSBA registration is the prerequisite to the free crop insurance.
She said all high-value crops, including fruit crops (e.g. coffee and cacao, cashew, guyabano, papaya, mango etc.) can be insured and renewed yearly.
Short term crops (e.g. cereals, rice, corn etc.) on the other hand, must be insured upon planting or not more than 10 days upon planting.
Almador also said the crops’ insurance is a great help for farmers to avoid financial losses and keep their business running, especially during natural disasters.
She said farmers can get a maximum amount of P20,000 per hectare.
“Magbase ang computation didto kung pila ang madawat sa farmer didto sa gidak-on sa luna ug gidak-on sa damage, ug edad sa tanom (The computation of how much the farmer will receive will be based on the size of the area, the extent of the damage, and the age of the plant),” she said.
She said farmers who want to have their crops insured may go directly to the district offices of City Agriculturist Office and Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation -Regional Office XI. CIO
