Agri damage seen at P6.88B

This photo from the Facebook group Leyte Community Page shows houses destroyed by the strong winds caused by Typhoon Yolanda in Ormoc, Leyte.

The damage wreaked by Supertyphoon Yolanda on the country’s agriculture sector rose further to P6.88 billion.

According to the Department of Agriculture (DA), the toll on coconut and high-value crop farms, as well as infrastructure, pushed the damage tally to almost double the initial estimate.

The new figure accounts for 214,522 metric tons of goods from 134,085 hectares of farmland.

Latest data from the DA’s field units showed that coconut farms alone added P1.5 billion to the initial damage estimate.

Total losses rose from the initial estimate of P3.7 billion made on Nov. 10 as data from heavily stricken areas came in, Agriculture officials reported.

Rice fields and fisheries stocks still accounted for the biggest losses at P2.23 billion and P1.16 billion, respectively.

On Nov. 12, the government updated its damage estimate, factoring in the devastation on agricultural infrastructure, facilities and equipment, which reached P1.02 billion, including irrigation systems worth P212.7 million.

The value of lost livestock rose to P443.47 million, while that of corn increased to P117.4 million.

Yolanda also took its toll on high-value crops, such as mangoes (with damage estimated at P220.14 million), cassava (with P94.31 million) and bananas (with P83.29 million). Vegetables worth at least P9.14 million and other crops amounting to P2 million worth also lost.

The worst hit areas of Eastern Visayas accounted for 69 percent of total damage at P4.73 billion. The province of Leyte alone chalked up P2.22 billion in losses, about half of which represents ruined palay.

Agriculture Undersecretary Emerson U. Palad said a vessel of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resource would set sail to bring food to Leyte.

The vessel can carry 300 metric tons of frozen food, including fish, poultry meat, eggs and vegetables.

The DA has prepared palay and corn seeds for planting and is looking at how high-value crops may be replaced right away, Palad said.

“We may also provide seeds, especially for vegetables like pechay, mustasa, upland kangkong and okra,” he said. “The case is different for high-value crop trees that may be saved by pruning and applying fertilizer. Salvaging would mean speedier recovery compared to replacement planting.”

Also, the DA is continuing its push for a massive replanting program for coconut farms, which the Philippine Coconut Authority has been implementing over the past several years.