NORTH COTABATO, Philippines – The dry spell has damaged P69 million worth of crops in this province, an official said yesterday.
North Cotabato provincial agriculturist Eliseo Mangliwan said rice and cornfields and banana plantations were most affected by the drought.
He said grass fires here and in Maguindanao also destroyed more than a hundred hectares of rice and cornfields in the past two weeks.
Makmod Mending Jr., Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao agriculture secretary, said they are validating the extent of the three-week drought to crops in Maguindanao.
Reports show that the towns of Alamada and Banisilin were worst hit by the drought.
North Cotabato Gov. Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza has ordered provincial agriculturists to formulate an action plan to mitigate the effect of the drought.