Nueva Ecija farmers lament destruction of crops due to Pepito

Farmers in Nueva Ecija lamented that their crops will surely go to waste as Tropical Storm Pepito crosses Luzon, bringing rains to the region and placing the province under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 2.

According to James Agustin’s report on “24 Oras,” Lito Cauzon wanted to harvest around 3 hectares of rice on Tuesday morning but could not do so due to bad weather.

“‘Pagka ganito pong masama panahon lalo na mag a-ani, mahirap po kasi nga po, una-unahan diyan bababa ‘yung presyo ng palay. Hindi bale po sana kung ang presyo ay mga P16, okay an rin po may kita ng kaunti,” Cauzon said.

Cauzon said the rice was sold at P12.35 per kilo on Monday.

According to the farmer, they were already losing profit due to the low price, a loss he expected to increase should their crops be destroyed.

“Kapag inani po ‘yan halos wala na po matitira dahil po sasama na sa harvester, sasama na sa dayami. Ang matitira na lang po diyan baka po sa halip na, halimbawa po umani ka ng isang daan sa isang hektarya, baka ma-swerte na po ‘yung matiran ka ng dalawang kaban,” he said.

Pepito will not directly cross Nueva Ecija while traversing Luzon but light to moderate rains have been experienced in Cabanatuan City since Tuesday morning.

Meanwhile, heavy equipment is already on standby in landslide-prone areas like Gabaldon and Carangglan.

Authorities are also monitoring the water level of the Pampanga River while operatives of the Bureau of Fire Protection have been going around issuing reminders to residents, who are prepared to evacuate once necessary. -Joahna Lei Casilao/MDM, GMA News