Damage to agri due to Carina, Habagat breaches P1B

The damage and losses sustained by the country’s agricultural sector due to the heavy rains and flooding following the onslaught of Typhoon Carina and southwest monsoon (Habagat) has breached P1 billion.

In its latest bulletin as of July 30, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said the value of production loss to crops and livestock amounted to P1.17 billion with volume of production loss at 18,086 metric tons (MT) and 42,708 hectares of agricultural areas.

The weather disturbances affected rice, corn, high value crops, livestock, irrigation facilities, and fisheries in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western and Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Soccsksargen and Caraga, according to the DA.

The combined effects of Carina and southwest monsoon impacted 40,904 farmers and fisherfolk.

Rice is the most affected commodity with value loss amounting to P660.6 million, equivalent to 10,272 MT of volume damaged.

The fisheries sector incurred P360.8 million losses, affecting 3,334 fisherfolk.

High-value corps sustained P79.35 million worth of damage, equivalent to volume loss of 1,915 MT.

Corn, likewise, saw a value loss of P65.40 million with a volume loss of 3,104 MT.

Livestock incurred P1.32 million of value loss, equivalent to 5,593 heads of chicken, swine, cattle, goat, sheep, duck, buffalo killed.

Meanwhile, damage amounting to P1.6 million was recorded in agriculture infrastructure, machineries, and equipment.

The DA, through its regional field offices and in collaboration with affected local government units and concerned disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) offices, said it “is actively engaged in conducting thorough validation and assessment on the impact of the combined effects of Southwest Monsoon and Typhoon Carina in the agriculture and fisheries sector.”

“Best possible efforts are also being undertaken to carry out assistance and appropriate interventions to the affected farmers and fisherfolk,” the Agriculture Department said.

The DA said it will promptly deploy the following forms of assistance: 

• 72,174 bags of rice seeds, 39,546 bags of corn seeds, 59,600 pouches, and 1,966 kilograms of vegetable seeds
• Fingerlings, fishing gears and paraphernalia from the 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 Php 25,000 payable in three years at zero interest
• Quick Response Fund (QRF) for the rehabilitation of affected areas
• Available funds from the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) to indemnify affected farmers

“The DA DRRM Operations Center will continuously provide updates regarding the combined effects of the SW Monsoon and Typhoon Carina,” it said.—AOL, GMA Integrated News