By NUEL M. BACARRA
Kodao Productions/Bulatlat
The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Bikol said Bicol farmers are in need of urgent compensation and subsidy from the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Office of the President due to flooding brought about by Tropical Storm Enteng (international name: Yagi).
According to KMB, its initial assessment and interviews among the affected farmers in Libon, Albay and in Bato and Nabua in Camarines Sur revealed that almost 400 hectares of rice fields that were scheduled for harvest this month had been inundated.
More than 400 farming families were affected by the floods that reached from three to seven meters, the group said.
KMB added it may take at least a month before the flooding subsides.
“We could only expect zero harvest. At best, only five to 10 sacks of poor quality palay may be salvaged per hectare, which only the poor farmers may consume,” the peasant group lamented.
KMB said the farmers are set to lose at least P30,000 to P40,000 ($530 to $707) per hectare that could go to as high as P60,000 to P70,000 ($1,061 to $1,237) if they used commercial fertilizers.
The farmers harvest from 60 to 150 sacks per hectare, depending on their respective fertilizer inputs and irrigation.
The peasant group said the farmers in the affected municipalities have given up on earning in this current cropping season due to the floods. It revealed that capital inputs are loans that have now become debts by the farmers.
KMB explained, “In total, the farmers lost their capital and expected income from the harvest. They also have to shoulder the burden of doubling interest on loans that they could no longer pay.”
The group urged the DA to investigate the effects of the floods and ask the farmers they assistance they need.
“We hope the agency will visit their rice fields and help them. The farmers are hoping that the government reimburse the money they spent and their expected income to allow them to plant again after the floods subside,” the group said.
“The (DA) has a budget for this and it should take into consideration the heavy losses the farmers incurred,” they added.
Meanwhile, the Camarines Sur Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management office reported that more than 20 municipalities have been flooded since Monday, Sept. 2.
Many roads and spillways are still impassable, the office added.
Classes are still suspended since Monday in all levels in Albay, Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur provinces.
Authorities said that flood affected families in the region have reached 2,000. Reposted by 
