DA: Typhoon Karen destroyed P3B worth of crops

Typhoon Karen has destroyed P3 billion in crops, the Department of Agriculture announced on Tuesday.

In its report, the DA estimated the cost of damage to the agriculture sector at P2.972 billion.

The typhoon damaged 260,002 hectares of agricultural areas, with an estimated production loss of 215,716 metric tons, and affected 86,261 farmers in Ilocos, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Central Luzon, CALABARZON and Bicol.

Karen destroyed P2.805 billion worth of rice, P60.341 million of corn, P106.433 million of high-value crops, and P124,250 of livestock.

Sought for comment, Vic Abola, economics professor at the University of Asia and the Pacific, said that the agricultural damage caused by the typhoon was "minor and may be considered as a regular annual loss."

"It's just 0.2 percent of agricultural output," Abola said.

Abola said that food prices were expected to increase temporarily especially in the affected regions.

"It's still minimal in relative terms. In the fourth quarter of 2015, farm output totaled P367 billion," said a bank economist who asked not to be named.

"Using this ballpark figure as an estimate for the fourth quarter 2016 farm output, that would make the P2.97 billion damage about 0.8 percent of potential agricultural production," he added.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) earlier reported that Ilocos, Bicol, and CAR incurred P741.42 million worth of damage to agriculture.

A report on "Quick Response Team" said that the agricultural loss in the province of Nueva Ecija reached more than P1 billion.

According to the Provincial Disaster Rsik Reduction and Management Office of Nueva Ecija, around P1 billion worth of rice was damaged by "Karen," while P90 million worth of damages was incurred by other crops.

In the  province of Pangasinan, meanwhile, the typhoon left P21.5 million worth of damage to agriculture and destroyed 300 hectares of crops.

Karen exited the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Monday morning. —NB, GMA News