Agri losses due to ‘Luis,’ ‘Mario’ climb to P1.76B

MANILA, Philippines–Agricultural losses in the wake of Typhoon “Luis” and Tropical Storm “Mario” have climbed to a total of P1.76 billion, as more data from the field showed greater devastation on rice farms.

Based on the latest assessment by the Department of Agriculture’s field operations services, losses sustained by rice farmers ballooned to P1.5 billion, representing 87,576 tons of palay.

Of the 119,997 hectares of rice farms affected, 112,879 hectares show the possibility of bouncing back.

Also lost to the heavy rains were P156.69 million worth of corn, representing almost 12,012 tons of harvest.

The DA said all but 13 hectares of the 22,082 hectares of affected corn farms had a chance of recovery.

As for high-value crops like fruits and vegetables, 3,131 tons worth P75.2 million were lost.

Damage assessment for the fisheries subsector remained at P12.2 million as did that for livestock at P2.36 million.

The tally for damaged facilities rose to about P6 million, mostly in facilities used in fisheries.

Central Luzon still recorded the biggest losses, which have climbed up to P787.38 million. The other affected regions were the Cordilleras, Ilocandia, Cagayan Valley and Bicol.

Tarlac replaced Nueva Ecija as the worst-hit province, racking up P278.49 million worth of crops that include P274 million worth of rice. Nueva Ecija’s losses were pegged at P249.6 billion

In terms of impact on national output of rice, combined damage from Luis and Mario accounts for a reduction of 0.46 percent out of the full-year target of 19.07 million tons.

For the fourth quarter of 2014 alone, the two howlers’ toll on rice production represents 1.2 percent of the 7.3-million tons forecast for that period.

In a related development, the National Food Authority said the supply and prices of milled rice in areas that suffered heavy rains and flooding last week “remain stable.”