Agri damage from July storms estimated at P1.12 billion

Farm damage incurred from two consecutive typhoons and a tropical depression has reached more than a billion pesos, the Agriculture department said.
The Department of Agriculture’s Disaster Risk Reduction Center said that as of 12:00 pm on Wednesday, July 25, damage in the agriculture sector caused by Tropical Storm “Henry”, Severe Tropical Storm “Inday” and Tropical Depression “Josie” has increased to P1.12 billion.
Affected crops include rice, corn and other high-value crops. The fisheries and livestock sub-sectors also suffered losses.
“The increase in the overall damages and losses is attributed to reports on rice, corn, high value crops and fisheries in all the provinces of Region III and Oriental Mindoro,” the agency said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.
Rice farms sustained the greatest damage, representing 83% or P925.99 million worth of crops totaling 12,111 metric tons (MT). Washed-out palay used for seedbeds amounted to a total of 5,137 bags.
The damaged area spanned 30,274 hectares of rice paddies in the provinces of Pangasinan, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, Batangas, Rizal, Laguna, Occidental Mindoro, Negros Occidental and Aklan.
Some 37,927 rice farmers were affected. — Janina C. Lim