Agri losses in Bicol due to ‘Glenda’ hit P3.74B
PILI, Camarines Sur—A week after Typhoon “Glenda” hit Bicol, the Department of Agriculture (DA) has placed the damage to agriculture and agricultural infrastructure in the region at P3.74 billion, and still counting.
The latest DA report released on Wednesday said the figure was a partial estimate of the losses incurred from the wrath of Glenda that brought maximum sustained winds of 150-185 kilometers per hour.
Glenda entered the region on July 15 from the eastern seaboard in the provinces of Albay, Sorsogon and Masbate but changed direction from westward to north westward traversing the provinces of Albay and Camarines Sur.
The eye of the typhoon passed several towns and cities from Gubat town in Sorsogon to the island-town of Rapu-Rapu to Tabaco City, both in Albay.
As if following the road going to Manila, Glenda moved northward to Camarines Sur leaving behind a trail of destruction to agriculture and infrastructure before it moved to the Southern Tagalog region.
Incurring the biggest damage to agriculture in Bicol is Camarines Sur (estimated at P2.332 billion, or 62 percent of the total regional losses), the DA report said.
Albay came second in damage to agricultural production and infrastructure with
P830.9 million, followed by Sorsogon (P253 million), Masbate (P117 million), Catanduanes (P108 million) and Camarines Norte (P97 million).
The highest damage was in coconut production reaching P1.269 billion, of which Camarines Sur accounted for P838 million; followed by Albay, P359 million; Sorsogon, P65 million; Camarines Norte, P4.648 million, and Catanduanes, P2.014 million. Masbate reported no damage to its coconut industry.
Damage to other crops and livestock also ran to hundreds of millions: rice crop destroyed was at P790 million; corn, P280 million; high-value crops, P756 million; livestock, P41 million; agri-infrastructure, P392 million; fisheries, P74 million, and abaca, P135 million.
In fisheries, the damage included motorized and nonmotorized fishing boats, gears, nets, paraphernalia, seaweeds, hatcheries, mangroves, fish corral, fish cages, ponds, abalones and green mussels.
