Agriculture damage due to Karding balloons to nearly P3B

The running tally of agricultural damage left by Typhoon Karding has risen further to nearly P3 billion, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said Friday.

Based on the estimates by the DA’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Operations Center (DRRM), the total value of production loss due to the typhoon stood at P2.95 billion as of 8 a.m. on September 30, higher than the P2.02 billion worth of damage and losses recorded as of Thursday morning.

The calamity swiped crops across 164,217 hectares of farm lands in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, CALABARZON, Bicol Region, and Western Visayas, affecting 103,552 farmers and fisherfolk with a total volume of production loss at 154,734 metric tons (MT).

Affected commodities include rice, corn, high-value crops, livestock and poultry, and fisheries.

Also, the DA said damage has been incurred in agricultural infrastructures, machineries and equipment.

“These values are subject to validation,” it said.

Rice is the most affected crop with total damage amounting to P2.02 billion across 159,251 hectares of rice fields ravaged, and total volume loss of 133,294 MT, which represents 0.66% of the annual total production target volume for rice at 20.25 million MT.

High-value crops -- fruits, vegetables, legumes, and spices -- is the second most damaged crop group with total value loss of P754.8 million and volume of crops destroyed at 18,536 MT across 2,964 hectares of farm lands.

Corn sustained volume loss of 2,634 MT equivalent to P65.4 million worth of value of production loss from 2,002 hectares of area.

The volume of corn damaged represents 0.05% of the annual total production target volume for the crop at 5.11 million MT.

Fisheries, including produce, boats and gears, sustained P75.2 million in damage.

Livestock and poultry incurred P12.8 million worth of losses as 48,183 livestock and poultry animals were killed during the typhoon.

Agriculture Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban said that consumers should brace for higher rice and vegetable prices, which may increase by 15% to 20%, as crops lands were flattened by Karding. 

Nonetheless, the DA said it will make following assistance available for distribution to affected farmers and fishers:

• P185.69 million worth of rice seeds, P23.16 million worth of corn seeds and PhP 13.55 million worth of assorted vegetable seeds
• P2.45 million worth of animal heads, drugs and biologics for livestock and poultry
• Fingerlings and fishing paraphernalia to affected fisherfolk from Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR)
• Survival and Recovery (SURE) Loan Program from the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC) with loanable amount of up to P25,000 payable in three years at zero interest
• P500 million worth of Quick Response Fund (QRF) for the rehabilitation of affected areas
• Mobile KADIWA centers for rolling out in areas affected by Karding to stabilize prices and supply of agri-fishery commodities

Karding left the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Monday, affecting several areas in Luzon. —LBG, GMA News