Damage to agriculture climbs to P3.6B

FILE PHOTO: Houses and trees damaged by typhoon Rai are seen, in Surigao del Norte province, Philippines, December 18, 2021. Picture taken December 18, 2021. Philippine Coast Guard/Handout via REUTERS

The damage to the country’s agriculture sector wrought by Typhoon “Odette” (international name: Rai) has reached P3.6 billion.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) said 47,048 farmers and fishers in 10 regions, namely Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao and Caraga have been affected.

Odette destroyed 67,573 hectares of agricultural areas, with the volume of production loss at 94,763 metric tons.

The rice sector sustained the most damage at P1.7 billion with production loss of 85,096.2 MT spanning 63,514 ha.

The damage to the fisheries sector declined to P954.4 million covering 4,373 fisherfolks.

Livestock and poultry lost P172.5 million in value covering 605,865 heads.

The DA said it had prepared P2.6 billion worth of financial aid to affected farmers and fishers. —Jordeene B. Lagare