Damage to the agriculture sector from the enhanced southwest monsoon and Tropical Cyclones Luis and Maymay has risen to P689.66 million, the Department of Agriculture (DA) reported in its 1 p.m. advisory on Thursday. The figure is nearly double the P347.37 million recorded as of Wednesday.
The DA’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Operations Center said the losses affect 21,115 farmers across 19,634 hectares, with total production loss reaching 17,527 metric tons. Rice accounts for the biggest share at P451.42 million, covering 18,230 hectares and a yield loss of 13,108 metric tons. High-value crops including vegetables, fruits and spices follow at P147.30 million, while corn suffered P32.74 million in damage across 476 hectares. Farm machinery, equipment and infrastructure incurred P56.6 million in losses; livestock and poultry P1.87 million; and cassava P262,000.
Assessments cover Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa and Western Visayas, with authorities noting more losses may be confirmed as field validations continue.
Aid is already being deployed, including P125.23 million worth of seeds and 1,007 bags of milled rice for affected local governments, mainly in Ilocos and Cagayan Valley. Eligible farmers may also access zero-interest loans of up to P25,000 payable over three years, plus insurance coverage via the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. The DA is also closely monitoring commodity prices and supply movement.
DA assistant secretary and spokesperson Arnel de Mesa said teams have pre-positioned supplies to speed up replanting. He noted minor vegetable price adjustments may appear after farms in Central Luzon and Southern Tagalog were hit, but added crops recover fast so increases will not be significant.
