WEATHER disturbances may cut total rice-paddy output in 2018 by 3.5 percent to 18.6 million metric tons, from a record high of 19.28 MMT in 2017, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said that monsoon rains, or habagat, and typhoons have caused significant damage to the local rice sector, which he likened to a boxing match.
“Like in boxing, it’s a nonstop corner to corner [punches] from four habagat in Central Luzon, then we had [typhoon] Ompong and then [typhoon] Rosita,” he said in a radio interview on Monday morning.
“We are expecting that palay production to decline by 800,000 metric tons. That’s a sizable volume. We will not be able to achieve our target production,” he added.
The DA is eyeing another record-high harvest this year of about 19.4 MMT. However, the agency has been lukewarm in achieving its target after typhoon Ompong damaged P26.77 billion worth of produce in Northern Luzon farms last month.
Typhoon Ompong reportedly destroyed around 600,000 MT of palay, while initial damage assessment by the DA showed that Rosita has damaged nearly 94,000 MT of paddy as of November 4.
“The area of Cagayan Valley, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino and Nueva Ecija are major rice production areas. These are not ordinary production areas,” Piñol said.
Prior to Ompong’s onslaught, the DA projected a second semester unmilled-rice output of about 10.2 MMT. However, with the recent typhoon damages, production may settle around the 10-MMT output level.
Damage
THE DA said total damage to the farm sector by Rosita has already reached P2.34 billion with an estimated volume loss of about 120,500 MT in over 98,413 hectares.
Typhoon Rosita affected 20,290 farmers and fisherfolk in Cordillera Administrative Region, Regions 1, 2 and 3, according to the DA’s initial damage assessment report.
Rice farmers lost 93,895 MT of palay, valued at P1.85 billion, planted on 81,135 hectares. At least 5,348 rice farmers were affected by Rosita, according to the DA.
Farmers who planted high-value crops, including coffee, vegetables and fruit trees lost 24,235 MT of production valued at P374.5 million. Initial estimates from the DA showed that 7,851 such farmers had planted these crops on 7,463 hectares. Damage to the corn sector was estimated at P83.18 million, with 2,371 MT of production volume losses in 9,815 hectares.
Typhoon Rosita also caused damage to the fisheries sector, estimated at P13.56 million; while losses incurred by livestock raisers were pegged at P2.51 million.
The typhoon also damaged P15-million worth of agriculture facilities, including the buildings of the Regional Crop Protection Cluster and Research Outreach Station in Nueva Ecija and Zambales, respectively.