THE Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC) has paid indemnity claims totaling to almost P34.5 million to 6,611 enrolled-farmers in Negros Occidental during the first six months of the year.
Records obtained by VoxPop Bacolod from PCIC-Negros Occidental showed the bulk of the claims amounting to P34 million was paid to 6,519 rice farmers in the province.
For corn sector, the agency paid P299,442 to 77 farmers, P56,000 to two non-crop sector farmers, P55,350 to five livestock raisers, and P16,000 to eight farmers under the Credit and Life Term Insurance (CLTI).
No payment was made yet for high-value crops (HVC) and fishery sectors, it added.
In terms of areas, PCIC's total payment in the first from January to June this year covers almost 6,324 hectares.
These comprised 6,248.5710 hectares for rice, 60.26 hectares for corn, five hectares for livestock; two hectares for non-crop, and eight hectares for CLTI.
Jose Ma. Torres, insurance underwriter and officer-in-charge of PCIC-Negros Occidental, said the amount to be released for the remaining half of the year would still depend on the possible "need."
Torres said the claims distributed will still increase if calamities, and pest and disease infestation continue in the last six months.
"Whatever the amount needed, we can cover," he added.
Indemnity claims released covers those under the Negros First Universal Crop Insurance Program (NFUCIP), Registry System for Basic Sector in Agriculture (RSBSA), Agrarian Production Credit Program (APCP), and Sikat Saka Program (SSP), among others.
NFUCIP is being implemented in partnership with the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental, through the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA).
Other programs are through other partner-agencies. RSBSA, for instance, is through the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
