Damage to agriculture placed at P1B

Rains and floods the past two weeks have wrought damage to agriculture estimated at P1.063 billion, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Tuesday.

Damage to rice crops amounted to P253 million, with 39,075 hectares affected.

Palay (unhusked rice) loss was estimated at 4,167 metric tons from 3,914 hectares. Most of the lost crops were in Camarines Sur province, which lost 2,491 metric tons.

The DA said the volume of palay lost constituted 0.12 percent of the forecast production of 3.49 million metric tons in the third quarter of the year.

The DA said 89 percent of the affected rice areas (34,963 hectares) had a chance of recovering.

Twelve provinces in four regions were affected, namely, Nueva Vizcaya in Cagayan Valley; Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac, Zambales in Central Luzon; Mindoro Occidental in Mimaropa (Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Romblon and Palawan); and Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Masbate and Sorsogon in the Bicol region.

Affected corn areas reached 18,382 hectares, with 14,811 hectares still having a chance of recovery.

The volume of lost corn from crops in the maturity stage was placed at 27,341 tons with a value of P378 million.

Damage to corn production was estimated at 1.16 percent of the national output target of 2.36 million tons in the third quarter of 2011.

Quirino province took the brunt of the damage with 21,539 tons of corn lost. Other affected provinces were Aurora, Albay, Camarines Sur and Masbate.