MORE than P1.8-billion of agricultural products and facilities have been damaged and loss due to the onslaught of typhoon Quinta.
In its Bulletin No. 6 issued by the Department of Agriculture (DA), the total value loss caused by the typhoon was recorded at P1.82-billion comprising of rice, corn, high value crops (HVC), fisheries, livestock and poultry, agri-infrastructure, machineries and equipment.
Based on the data, the total volume loss was recorded at 103,773 metric tons (MT) affecting 73,748 hectares of agricultural farms and 32,683 farmers and fisherfolk.
Of the total value loss, the commodity that was adversely affected is rice at 63 per cent followed by HVC with 26%; next is corn at 7%; fisheries at 5% and one per cent for livestock and poultry, agri-infrastructure, machineries and equipment.
The total value loss for rice commodity was recorded at P1.14-billion affecting 63,471 hectares of rice farms with a total volume loss of 79,397 MT.
For HVC, the total value loss was recorded at P446.7-million affecting 5,447 hectares with total volume loss of 18,718 MT while the total value loss for corn was recorded at P119.2-million affecting 4,830 hectares of corn farm with a total volume loss of 5,658 MT.
Meanwhile, the total value loss for fisheries was recorded at P79.9-million affecting fisheries produce, motorized and non-motorized banca and fishing gears.
The total value loss for livestock and poultry, on the other hand, was recorded at P1.9-million affecting 2,442 heads while the total value loss for irrigation and agri-facilities and agri-machineries and equipment were recorded at P18.3-million and P875,000, respectively.
Affected irrigation and agri-facilities include the dam structure, postharvest facilities and animal sheds while those affected in machineries and equipment are the incubators.
The DA, however, said that before the onslaught of the typhoon, rice farmers from Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR), Regions ll, lll, IV-A, VI and VII were able to save their produce with a total value of P7,664,393,764 and total volume of 530,593 MT.
Corn farmers in Regions II and VI, on the other hand, also were able to save their produce before the typhoon, with total value of P1,312,363,631 and total volume of 109,364 MT.
The DA said that affected farmers and fisherfolk will be provided with assistance which include the Quick Response Fund (QRF) for the rehabilitation of areas affected by the typhoon; Survival and Recovery (SURE) Loan Program of Agricultural Credit Facility Council (ACPC) and indemnification funds from Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) to indemnify affected farmers and fisherfolk.
A total of 35,148 bags of rice seeds; 8,310 bags of corn seeds; 2,530 kilograms of vegetables and 440,000 fruit trees seedling will be distributed to the farmers in Regions I, IV-A, IV-B, V, VI, VIII and IX.
