Gina de V seeks expanded crop insurance program
NOTING the predicament of farmers and fish raisers in Pangasinan who lost their crops and milkfish from last year’s flood, 4th District Rep. Gina de Venecia is set to file a bill seeking the expansion of the Crop Insurance Program.
The neophyte congresswoman, vice chair of the committees of social services and affairs, said the bill, if it becomes a law, will help farmers in the country recover from their losses due to the damages caused by natural calamities such as typhoons, floods, pests and drought.
The fourth district (Dagupan City, Mangaldan, San Fabian, San Jacinto and Manaoag) has vast large agriculture and aquaculture areas
“As in the last flood, I saw how corn from San Jacinto were submerged and given up for lost while milkfish and prawns in Dagupan were washed away to the Lingayen Gulf by rampaging floodwaters,” said De Venecia.
She said that an expanded crop insurance program will cover, among others, assistance for farm and fishpond repairs.
Under the proposed bill, the fund for rehabilitating damaged farmlands and fishponds will directly come from the government through the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation.
De Venecia said under the current set up, the Philippine Crop Insurance Program can only provide limited coverage to farmers and fishermen.
She said the proposed bill is part of her agenda in fulfillment of her campaign promise to prioritize livelihood development along with health care, education, values formation and protection of the environment.—LM
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