Agri damage from Typhoon Nina reaches P4 billion

The damage caused by Typhoon Nina on the agriculture sector in Regions IV-A and V has reached P4 billion, the Department of Agriculture reported on Wednesday.

The production loss has so far reached P3.935 billion. Plus the damage to agricultural facilities and infrastructure, the sector has incurred P4.007 billion, the department noted in a preliminary report.

In terms of volume, hectares and number of farmers hit, the department noted the following:

• 65,247 hectares

• 268,355 metric tons

• 66,963 farmers

The numbers came from various reports of Regional Field Offices (RFO) IV-A and V.

Nina destroyed P2.368 billion worth of rice, P312.918 million of corn and P1.255 billion of high value crops.

The fisheries sector in Region V reported an estimated loss of P41.36 million, mostly infrastructure, facilities and equipment such as fishing boats, fish cages and the BFAR regional field office.

The reports have not yet been validated and are incomplete due to the difficulty in gathering data from field, the department noted.

"For buffer stocking, the concerned DA-RFOs have standby rice and corn seeds for distribution to farmers whose farms were totally damaged," the department said. — Ted Cordero/VS, GMA News