DAMAGE caused by Supertyphoon Karding (international name: Noru) to the farm sector has soared to P1.29 billion with over 141,000 hectares of agricultural areas affected across six regions, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Tuesday.
In its fifth bulletin on STY Karding, the DA Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Operations Center (DA-DRRM OpCen) said 82,158 farmers and fisherfolk lost 72,231 metric tons (MT) of produce.
“The increase in overall damage and losses is due to additional reports on rice, corn, high value crops, livestock and fisheries in all affected regions,” the DA-DRRM OpCen said in the bulletin issued on Tuesday afternoon.
“Affected commodities include rice, corn, high-value crops, livestock and poultry, and fisheries. These values are subject to validation,” it added.
The DA-DRRM OpCen’s latest report showed that two-thirds or about P959.8 million of the total recorded damage was in the rice sector. The report showed that Karding affected 138,843 hectares of rice farms, damaging 63,115 metric tons (MT) of palay.
The high-value crops (HVC) sector has now registered P271.4 million worth of production loss after Karding affected 1,103 hectares of assorted fruits and vegetables with an estimated volume loss of 7,465 MT.
The STY’s damage to the corn sector has now reached P40.5 million, according to the DA-DRRM OpCen report. The report indicated that 1,366 hectares of corn farms were damaged with a production volume loss estimated at 1,629 MT.
The fisheries sector has incurred P17 million worth of losses while the livestock and poultry sector recorded P560,000 in damage.
Agriculture Undersecretary Kristine Y. Evangelista said the DA is closely monitoring the impact on the country’s food supply and prices of Karding’s damage to the farm sector.
Nonetheless, Evangelista assured the public that the country has sufficient supply of rice and vegetables, the two commodities most affected by Karding.
The DA continues to coordinate with concerned national government agencies, local government units and other DRRM-related offices for the impact of Karding, the DA-DRRM OpCen said.
The DA-DRRM OpCen said the DA has prepared millions worth of interventions to help farmers and fisherfolk cope with the damage caused by Karding to their farms.
“The following assistance are available for distribution to affected farmers and fishers: P27.47 million worth of rice seeds, P13.23 million worth of corn seeds and P12.64 million worth of assorted vegetable seeds,” it said.
It added that “P2.45 million worth of animal heads, drugs and biologics for livestock and poultry. Fingerlings and fishing paraphernalia to affected fisherfolk from Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources [BFAR]” will also be available.
The DA-DRRM OpCen added that typhoon-affected farmers and fisherfolk may avail themselves of P25,000 worth of loan payable in three years at zero interest through the Agricultural Credit Policy Council’s Survival and Recovery (SURE) Loan Program.
The DA has a P500-million quick response fund to rehabilitate the affected areas, according to the DA-DRRM OpCen.
Image credits: Malacañang Palace