MANILA — The government has no fund to provide cash aid for farmers who incurred losses due to pests and oversupply issues, Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said on Tuesday.

Several farmers in Cordillera and Cebu were forced to throw away cabbages due to oversupply, while onions in Nueva Ecija were hit by pests.

“As of now wala dahil technically there is no fund to help them,” Tiu Laurel said in a press conference in Malcañang.

“Maybe we can given them seeds to replant and pesticides along with it and some other support,” he said.

• Cabbages given out for free in Dalaguete, Cebu
• Deep wells, solar irrigation among interventions for rice farmers amid El Niño

While the pest problem that hit the onion industry in Nueva Ecija “will have some effect” on onion prices, the spike is not expected to be significant, he said.

“It will have some effect because it will reduce production. Pero based sa study ng DA… minimal lang,” he said.

So far, the DA is still looking at more viable solutions to aid farmers in Nueva Ecija, the Secretary said.

“Pinagaaralan ko pang mabuti kung paano ma-address yun. Unfortunately, I don’t have the answer today on how to address it,” he said.

Tiu Laurel gave the statements after his meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on the DA’s 3-year plan.

The plan — which needs P93 billion in funding — involves the construction of cold storage facilities for rice, corn and other high-value crops.

• Some farmers in Bulacan feeling effects of El Niño
• A vegetable farm grows in the heart of Bonifacio Global City