The coastline damage of Typhoon “Odette” in Surigao del Norte is shown in a Dec. 22 photo. —MALACAÑANG PHOTO
Damage to agriculture attributed to Typhoon “Odette” (international name: Rai) has reached the P9-billion mark with the Department of Agriculture (DA) expecting higher figures as more reports of losses come in. This was higher than the P2.3-billion loss recorded on Oct. 20, 2021, following the onslaught of Severe Tropical Storm “Maring.” It was also higher than the P1.36-billion losses on Sept. 15 due to Typhoon “Jolina.” But Odette’s impact on agriculture paled in comparison with the P35-billion agricultural damage left by Supertyphoon “Yolanda” in 2013. The DA said in its bulletin released on Friday that Odette damaged 351,952 hectares of agricultural areas and destroyed 194,671 metric tonsof crops. Fisheries incurred P3 billion in damage.