MANILA – Severe tropical storm Enteng and the southwest monsoon (habagat) have affected 14,605 farmers in the country, and caused PHP360.18 million in losses to agriculture, based on the latest report from the Department of Agriculture-Disaster Risk Reduction Management (DA-DRRM) Operations Center.
“Ang pinakamalaking damage ay reported sa (The highest damage was reported in) Camarines Sur at PHP342 million, so, karamihan halos nasa kanila (majority of damage was reported there),” DA Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said in an interview on Thursday.
He said agricultural damage was also reported in Catanduanes, Albay, Negros Occidental, Northern Samar, and Bulacan.
The DA-DRRM is yet to get situation reports from the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Calabarzon, and Mimaropa.
Rice production, meanwhile, incurred the highest volume loss at 14,177 metric tons (MT) worth PHP340.06 million.
Production loss in corn remained at 739 MT amounting to PHP14.01 million, high-value crops (HVC) damage rose to 200 MT worth PHP4.33 million, and an addition of 89 MT production loss in cassava amounting to PHP1.77 million.
The DA, earlier, assured the distribution of PHP202.86 million worth of seeds, bio-control measures, and farm tools, as well as the availability of up to PHP25,000 loan under the Survival and Recovery Loan Program from the Agricultural Credit Policy Council; and indemnification funds under the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PNA)
