THE Department of Agriculture (DA) on Tuesday warned that the country’s rice and corn sectors could lose as much as P13.5 billion with an estimated production loss of more than 400,000 metric tons (MT) if Typhoon Ompong (international code name Mangkhut) slams Northern Luzon farms this week.
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said the DA’s Field Operations Office have projected estimates and scenarios on the possible impact of Typhoon Ompong on the rice and corn sectors.
In a worst case scenario, about 893,726 hectares of rice farms in the Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon and the Cordillera Autonomous Regions are bound to be affected by Typhoon Ompong with an estimated total output loss of 156,792.94 MT.
The majority of the standing crops planted in the four regions are in their vegetative stage within around 511,276 hectares.
The DA estimates that production loss could be at P7.291 billion in the four regions in a worst-case scenario.
“A moderate projection shows rice crop losses amounting to P3.3 [billion],” Piñol said in a post on his official Facebook page on September 11.
Based on the estimates of the DA, Region 1 could incur the highest losses at P3.332 billion with a production loss of about 57,477.02 MT planted in 262,853 hectares.
In a moderate situation, rice farmers would lose about 65,671.31 MT of produce.
DA data seen by the BusinessMirror showed that if the country loses about 600,000 MT due to calamities in the third and fourth quarters then the country’s total palay output may settle at 18.84 MMT.
The figure is 2.28 percent lower than the 19.28-MMT record-high palay harvest in 2017.
Corn sector
“Also in a worst-case scenario, an estimated 483,000 hectares of corn fields could be affected with a projected crop loss amounting to P6.2 billion,” Piñol said.
The DA projects that corn farmers in Northern Luzon could lose about 257,111.31 MT of produce due to the impending threat of Typhoon Ompong.
Based on the monitoring of the DA, corn planted in about 265,160 hectares, or about 54.84 percent of the total standing crops as of August 31 are already in their reproductive stage.
Region 1 is projected to suffer the brunt of the possible damages of Typhoon Ompong as it accounted for about 54.36 percent of the total standing crops, according to DA estimates.
In a worst-case scenario, Region 1 could lose 75,545.98 MT of corn planted in about 262,853 hectares with an estimated value of P2.982 billion.
Region 2, the country’s top corn producer, is also seen to incur losses of about P2.97 billion, from the possible destruction of about 201,487 hectares with an estimated output of 166,885.5 MT.
“The moderate scenario shows an estimated corn damage amounting to P4.2 [billion],” Piñol said.
In a moderate situation, the DA estimates that corn farms in Northern Luzon could lose 228,286.9 MT.
Piñol said he has instructed DA’s field offices in the four regions “to activate their disaster monitoring offices and operate on a 24-hour basis to monitor the effect of the typhoon.”
“The regional offices were also directed to prepare food supplies to be distributed to affected farmers in the aftermath of the typhoon,” he said.
“The threat by Typhoon Ompong on Philippine agriculture shows the vulnerability of the agriculture and fisheries sectors to adverse climatic conditions and climate change. At this point, all that we in the DA and the farmers could do is to pray and prepare for the worst,” he added.