Damage to agriculture due to Maymay, Neneng hits P427.77M

A government agency said Thursday that the damage caused to agriculture in Northern Luzon by the onslaught of two consecutive tropical cyclones has reached P427.77 million.
 
Citing assessments by its regional field offices, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said Tropical Depression Maymay and Typhoon Neneng flattened 20,976 hectares of agricultural land in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Ilocos Region, and Cagayan Valley.
 
The value of production losses reported as of Thursday morning, October 20, was higher than the P355.63-million worth of damage and losses to the crop sector initially estimated as of October 18.

The weather disturbances destroyed 26,529 metric tons of crops, affecting 19,692 farmers.
 
Damaged commodities include rice, corn, high-value crops, livestock, poultry, and fisheries. 
 
“These values are subject to validation,” the DA said.

“The values of damage and losses for ‘Maymay’ and ‘Neneng’ have been combined as the two tropical cyclones occurred in a span of one week and affected the same agricultural areas in CAR, Ilocos Region and Cagayan Valley.”
 
The DA said it continuously coordinates with concerned national government agencies, local government units, and other disaster risk reduction and management-related offices on the impact of the tropical cyclones, as well as available resources for interventions and assistance.

“Mobile KADIWA centers are being set up for [rollout] in areas affected by ‘Maymay’ and ‘Neneng’ to stabilize prices and supply of agri-fishery commodities,” the agency said.

The department said the following assistance is available for distribution to affected farmers and fishers:

• Rice, corn, and assorted vegetable seeds
• Drugs and biologics for livestock and poultry
• Fingerlings and assistance to affected fisherfolk from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR)
• Survival and Recovery (SURE) Loan Program from the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC) with a loanable amount of up to P25,000 payable in three years at zero interest
• Quick Response Fund (QRF) for the rehabilitation of affected areas

“The DA-DRRM (Disaster Risk Reduction and Management) Operations Center will continuously provide updates regarding ‘Maymay’ and ‘Neneng’,” the DA said. — VBL, GMA News