Farm damage due to ‘Luis’, ‘Mario’ hits P3.11B

The assessed farm damage caused by Typhoon “Luis” and Tropical Storm “Mario” jumped yet again to reach a total of P3.11 billion, or close to double the P1.76 billion reported three days ago.

The increase was due mainly to field reports showing greater damage to rice farms.

Based on the latest assessment by the Department of Agriculture’s field operations services, rice farmers’ losses were jacked up to P2.8 billion, representing 158,723 tons of palay.

Of the 169,183 hectares of rice farms affected, 149,557 hectares may be able to recover.

Heavy rains also claimed P174.14 million worth of corn, representing almost 13,261 tons of grain.

According to the DA, all but 87 hectares of the 23,875 hectares of affected corn farms have a chance of recovery.

As for high-value crops like fruits and vegetables, 3,587 tons worth P81.4 million were lost.

Damage assessment for the fisheries subsector was raised to P16.13 million as did that for livestock at P7.97 million.

The tally for damaged facilities remained at about P6 million, mostly in facilities used in fisheries.

Central Luzon still recorded the biggest losses, which still climbed up further to P999.64 million.

The other affected regions were the Cordilleras, Ilocandia, Cagayan Valley and Bicol.

A late entrant in the losses tally was Mimaropa, adding P88.2 million worth of farm products ruined.

Camarines Sur supplanted Tarlac as the worst-hit province, reporting P798.9 million worth of palay. Nueva Ecija was second with P295.2 million.

In terms of impact on national output of rice, combined damage from Luis and Mario accounts for a reduction of 0.83 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 2.2 percent of the 7.3-million tons forecast for that period.