Typhoon Odette’s total damage to PH agriculture now at P8-B — DA

REBUILDING Residents of Ubay, Bohol, dig through piles of debris to find anything they can use to rebuild their homes destroyed by Typhoon “Odette,” as it battered the Visayas and Mindanao last week. —LEO UDTOHAN

MANILA, Philippines — Damage and losses caused by Typhoon Odette (international name: Rai) have surged to P8 billion as of Tuesday (Dec. 28) evening, and the Department of Agriculture is projecting the figures to further increase in the coming days.

The typhoon, even after leaving the Philippine area of responsibility more than a week ago, has affected 113,479 farmers and fishers in 11 regions, mostly in Visayas and parts of Mindanao.

In its bulletin, the agency said affected regions include Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan), Bicol, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao, Soccsksargen and Caraga (Caraga Administrative Region).

The volume of production loss reached 171,222 metric tons covering 341,280 hectares of agricultural areas.

“Affected commodities include rice, corn, high-value crops, coconut, sugarcane, livestock, and fisheries. Damage has also been incurred in agricultural infrastructures, machineries and equipment,” it added.

/MUF