Agricultural insurance problems of farmers should be included in the government’s plan to mitigate the impacts of El Nino, Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva on Thursday, April 27, said. He said that 22.2 percent or 10.5 million employed Filipinos depend on agriculture as a source of income based on a Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) in its Labor Force Survey last January 2023. Villanueva, thus, filed Senate Resolution 549 which seeks to look into the state of the government’s agricultural insurance program, considering the impact of unfortunate natural occurrences on agriculture. Ultimately, Villanueva seeks to put in place sufficient measures to protect Filipino farmers and fisherfolk. “Almost one-fourth of our labor force are in the agriculture sector and if we don’t take the necessary measures to protect it, we will see a severe decline in employment which will in turn lead to low agricultural production, endangering the livelihood of millions of Filipinos in the sector and also our country's food security,” he said. Villanueva said that the low availment of agricultural insurance for farmers is alarming given that the country needs to be prepared for the impacts of natural extreme events, disasters and climate change. “Our agriculture insurance program needs to be future-ready and easily accessible for the benefit of our farmers and fisherfolk,” he added. The Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) provides insurance under seven agricultural insurance lines: rice crop, corn crop, high-value crops, livestock, fisheries & aquaculture, non-crop agricultural assets and credit and life-term insurance. In 2020, the PCIC was able to insure a total of 3,090,251 farmers and fisherfolk. The amount of protection assured was P 94.591 billion and the premium generated was P5.086 billion,” the resolution said. The Majority Leader noted that the PCIC should address the issues of farmers on filing indemnity claims such as the lack of knowledge and the long process of claims payments, documentary requirements, and additional costs which led to its low availment. According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), while La Niña has officially ended, the country needs to brace and prepare for El Niño which is expected to be declared by May. The resolution states that “among the major factors for the low productivity and erratic trends in agriculture are climate change, regular weather disturbances and disasters.” The Department of Agriculture (DA) said that weather disturbances left P746 million in agricultural damages in January 2023 alone. The PSA also estimated that from 2010 to 2019, damages to agriculture totaled P 290 billion. “The government must ensure the accessibility, availability and sufficiency of safety nets to protect the livelihood of Filipinos employed in agriculture and the food security of the entire country,” the resolution stated.