ABOUT 20,959 farmers and fishers have been affected by the combined effects of tropical cyclones Emong (international name Co-May), Dante (Francisco), and Crising (Wipha), and the enhanced southwest monsoon or “habagat,” the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Operations Center reported on Thursday.
The affected areas include the Cordillera region, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Northern Mindanao, and Soccsksargen.
As of Thursday, agricultural losses have reached 13,376 metric tons (MT), amounting to PHP454.12 million, based on DA-DRRM Bulletin 10.
This is up from 10,595 MT worth PHP323.15 million reported the previous day.
The rice sector suffered the most damage, with losses of about 8,256 MT, valued at PHP275.03 million, across at least 18,490 hectares of rice fields.
At a Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon interview, DA spokesperson, Assistant Secretary Arnel De Mesa said the current volume loss in palay (unhusked rice) production is still within the annual average rice loss of 500,000 MT to 600,000 MT in times of disasters.
High-value crops recorded PHP117.17 million in losses, accounting for 3,540 MT of vegetables, spices, legumes, watermelons, bananas, pineapples, papayas, and root crops.
Other reported damage are PHP38.90 million losses in corn; PHP9.20 million in fisheries, affecting 543 fishers; PHP6.7 million in infrastructure, machinery, and irrigation systems; PHP6.19 million in livestock and poultry, involving 1,150 heads; and PHP920,740 in cassava.
De Mesa reiterated that more than PHP1.2 billion worth of aid is already prepositioned for affected farmers and fishers in the country.
This includes PHP596.52 million in agricultural and fishery inputs; PHP400 million in Survival and Recovery (SURE) loans under the Agricultural Credit Policy Council, offering up to PHP25,000 per borrower; and PHP268 million in indemnification from the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. for 45,980 insured farmers, set for release starting next week.| pna
