Damage to the agriculture sector from the southwest monsoon (habagat) enhanced by Tropical Cyclones Luis, Maymay, and Neneng has risen to ₱1.79 billion, the Department of Agriculture (DA) reported in its 10 a.m. advisory on August 22.
The latest figure is up from the ₱1.73 billion reported as of 7 p.m. August 20.
Across affected regions, 52,279 farmers have been impacted, with 41,647 hectares of agricultural land damaged and total production loss estimated at 44,745 metric tons. Of the affected areas, 32,342 hectares (77.66%) are deemed recoverable, while 9,305 hectares (22.34%) are no longer viable for rehabilitation.
Rice accounts for the largest share of damage at ₱987.55 million, covering 37,422 hectares with a yield loss of 27,161 MT. High-value crops follow at ₱591.46 million, including vegetables, spices, fruits, root crops, and commercial and ornamental varieties. Other losses include: corn (₱85.41 million), farm machinery and infrastructure (₱79.35 million), cassava (₱23.51 million), livestock and poultry (₱14.85 million), and fisheries and aquatic resources (₱9.26 million).
Affected areas cover the Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, and Western Visayas. The DA noted that field assessments are still underway, so further upward revisions to damage costs are likely.
To date, assistance worth ₱210.93 million in seeds and agricultural inputs has been distributed, alongside 3,631 bags of milled rice from the National Food Authority. The Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. has released ₱35.67 million in indemnity payments to 5,005 insured farmers and fisherfolk. Eligible beneficiaries may also access zero-interest loans of up to ₱25,000 under the Survival and Recovery Loan Program, repayable over three years. The DA is additionally providing logistical support, monitoring commodity prices, and working to prevent profiteering.
Meanwhile, PAGASA’s 4 a.m. August 23 forecast states one typhoon and two tropical depressions lie near or just outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility. Batanes can expect occasional rains; Metro Manila, much of Luzon, and Western Visayas will see cloudy skies with scattered rains and thunderstorms; the rest of the country will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers.
