Farm losses hit ₱3.62-B

Agricultural damage from the enhanced southwest monsoon and tropical cyclones Luis, Maymay and Neneng has reached ₱3.62 billion, affecting nearly 75,000 hectares of farmland and more than 86,000 farmers and fishers, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said last week.

The latest field validation covered 74,809 hectares of agricultural areas and 87,745 metric tons (MT) in production losses across eight regions, according to the DA Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Operations Center.

“Affected commodities include rice, corn, cassava, high-value crops, fisheries, livestock and poultry, and agri-fisheries infrastructure, machinery, and equipment,” the DA-DRRM said in a statement.

The affected areas include the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol and Western Visayas.

The rice sector suffered the largest production and financial losses, with 59,872 MT of output lost and estimated damage of ₱1.90 billion.

“(The) volume of production loss at 59,872 MT (is) 0.30 percent of the total annual production target volume for rice at 20.29 million MT,” the DA-DRRM said.

High-value crops sustained 22,415 MT in losses valued at ₱1.03 billion. These included vegetables, spices, legumes, fruits, root crops, commercial crops and ornamental plants.

Fisheries recorded ₱412.84 million in losses, covering damage to fish production, fishing boats and gears, tanks, fishpond dikes and office buildings.

Other losses included ₱119.84 million in corn, ₱26.58 million in livestock involving 18,934 animals, and ₱25.65 million in cassava.

Agricultural infrastructure also sustained substantial damage, including ₱67.52 million in irrigation facilities, ₱36.67 million in farm structures and ₱4.07 million in machinery and equipment.

The DA said government interventions are being mobilized to help farmers and fishers recover from the losses.

At least ₱645.46 million worth of agricultural assistance has been made available to affected sectors, including about ₱609.79 million worth of agricultural inputs for rice, corn and vegetables.

Another ₱35.67 million in insurance payouts is available for 5,005 insured farmers and fishers through the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp.

Farmers can also access zero-interest loans of up to ₱25,000 each under the Survival and Recovery (SURE) Loan, payable over three years.

The National Food Authority has distributed 9,260 bags of milled rice to affected local government units in Ilocos, Cagayan, Central Luzon and Mimaropa.

In CAR, the DA-DRRM has established DA CAR Help Desks at the Benguet AgriPinoy Trading Center and La Trinidad Vegetable Trading Post to assist affected farmers, monitor the movement of vegetables and provide information on available government support.

The DA also posted measures through the DA-CAR social media page to help farmers prevent spoilage and wastage of high-value crops.

Logistical assistance has likewise been deployed, including Kadiwa trucks, as part of the government’s effort to help farmers move their produce and mitigate further losses.

The scale of the damage highlights the vulnerability of the agricultural sector to extreme weather disruptions, particularly as losses in rice and other food commodities can affect farm incomes, local supply and market prices.