MANILA, Philippines - Another province in Northern Luzon has been placed under a state of calamity due to the losses in crops caused by the on-going dry spell.

The provincial government of Cagayan declared the state of calamity after the estimated damage of the dry spell on rice and corn products reached at least P900 million.

It said that it will issue P5 million assistance funds to the farmers affected by the dry spell.

It said that it has already purchased 198 units of water irrigation pumps to cushion the effects of the on-going dry spell, but they would need more.

The local government said that at least 100 hectares of fish ponds in the province are also in danger of being hit by the dry spell.

It added that the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources has advised fish pond owners to conduct forced harvests to lessen their losses.

Last week, Isabela's provincial government also declared a state of calamity due to an estimated P1-billion loss in rice and corn products.

The Department of Agriculture has been conducting cloud seeding operations in several provinces in north Luzon to cushion the effects of the El Niño phenomenon, which is being blamed for the dry spell.

The state weather bureau had said that the dry spell will continue to affect several parts of the country for the next 4 months.

Aside from the losses in crops, the on-going dry spell has also dried up hydro-electric plants in Mindanao provinces, forcing electricity providers to implement rotating brownouts. With a report from Brigette Mayor, ABS-CBN Cagayan