Damage to agriculture from the combined impact of inclement weather has reached P359.75 million, according to latest data from the Department of Agriculture (DA).
In an advisory issued at 9 a.m. Sunday, the DA said the damage was wrought on 3,368 metric tons (MT) of goods tended by 16,521 farmers in 23,240 hectares (ha) of farmland.
Rice damage alone amounted to P311.94 million with the loss of 753 MT of the grains while corn damage amounted to another P41.87 million and production loss of 2,006 MT.
High value crop loss was estimated at P5.75 million and another P202,150 from livestock and poultry.
According to the DA, the damage was reported in Davao and the Caraga region and that an aid package of more than P16 million in the form of rice, corn, and vegetables as well as low-cost loans were turned over to farmers.
The DA vowed to make available to affected farmer as much as P25,000 in three-year, zero-interest loans from the Survival and Recovery Loan Program of the Agricultural Credit Policy Council and assistance through the Quick Response Fund for early recovery and rehabilitation of affected areas.
“We are hopeful that the interventions and assistance we have and will extend to our farmers here in Caraga and in the Davao provinces will mitigate the adverse impact of these weather disturbances on their lives and livelihoods and help in their quick recovery,” said DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., in a statement.
