Agricultural damage due to shear line, LPA now at over P155 million – DA

The Department of Agriculture in Quezon City (Photo from its website)

MANILA, Philippines — The damage wrought by the shear line and low-pressure area to the crop sector has reached P155.21 million, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said in a Monday bulletin.

The DA-Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) reported that the effects of the weather systems have so far affected 6,569 farmers in Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas, and the Bicol Region.

The report added that affected commodities include rice, corn, high-value crops, and livestock, with a volume of production loss of 5,307 metric tons spanning 7,496 hectares of agricultural areas.

The DA-DRRM said it was still assessing the extent of LPA and shear line’s effects, but irrigation facilities within the affected areas also incurred damage.

To aid affected farmers, DA said its regional field offices would continue monitoring the situation and coordinating with local government units on distributing available resources for assistance.

Once the conditions had improved, the agency said they could avail of the following, among others:

• P29.30 million worth of rice, corn, and assorted vegetable seeds
• P211,500 worth of native chicken
• P50 million worth of Survival and Recovery Loan Program from the Agricultural Credit Policy Council

In a separate report, the Department of Social Welfare Development said around 1.2 million people had been affected by the inclement weather.

READ: NDRRMC: 2 dead due to effects of shear line

Also on Monday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said it had distributed over P66 million worth of assistance — more than P65 million from the DSWD and more than P1 million from the Office of Civil Defense.

Last Nov. 14, the NDRRMC said the shear line brought a lot of rain over the provinces of Oriental Mindoro and Quezon and the Bicol Region and Eastern Visayas while an LPA then-located 935 km east of northeastern Mindanao affected Eastern Visayas and the Caraga Regio.

Although the LPA dissipated on Nov. 19, the shear line caused continuous rainfall over portions of the Bicol Region and Western and Eastern Visayas.