Enteng Agri losses hit P659M

THE cost of agricultural damage from Severe Tropical Storm Enteng has reached P659.01 million as of Friday, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said.

As of September 6, the number of affected farmers from Bicol Region, Cagayan Valley, Western and Eastern Visayas, and Central Luzon has reached 27,598.

The number was expected to rise as reports from other regions were yet to be submitted or validated, said Agriculture Assistant Secretary and spokesman Arnel de Mesa.

Overall volume of production loss was estimated at 28,788 metric tons (MT), while 22,309 hectares of agricultural areas planted with rice, corn, cassava, and other high-value crops were damaged.

Most of the damage was recorded in the rice sector at 95 percent, accounting for 26,736 MT with an equivalent value of P624.06 million.

For corn, the loss was 1,430 MT (P22.75 million), for high-value crops with damaged crops at 89 MT (P1.77 million), and for high-value crops, 533 MT (P10.41 million).

From January to September, the combined effects of El Niño and other weather disturbances resulted in agricultural damage amounting to nearly P23 billion.

The DA said it has distributed various forms of assistance to affected sectors, including P202.8 million worth of seeds to mitigate the effects of calamities.

Loan programs under the Agricultural Credit Policy Council, the Quick Response Fund and funds from the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. were available to indemnify affected farmers, it said.

De Mesa added that an average of 500,000 to 600,000 MT of palay were lost annually due to typhoons and other calamities.