El Niño farm damage said to have hit P9.89B

AGRICULTURAL damage caused by El Niño has hit P9.89 billion and could still rise even if the weather pattern has officially been declared as having ended, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Monday.

The DA said it was still collating data from across the country and that to date the government had distributed P9.91 billion in assistance to those affected by dry spells and droughts.