Agri damage due to Maymay, Neneng now P583.45M

The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Friday said the damage and losses to agriculture caused by the onslaught of two consecutive tropical cyclones that hit Northern Luzon this month has reached almost half-a-billion pesos.

Based on the assessment made by its regional field offices, the DA said the value of production loss of the agriculture sector due to Tropical Depression Maymay and Typhoon Neneng stood at P583.45 million, higher than the P427.77 million estimated worth of damage as of Thursday.

The weather disturbances flattened 21,986 hectares of agricultural lands in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Ilocos Region, and Cagayan Valley.

Maymay and Neneng also destroyed 36,872 metric tons of crops, affecting 21,324 farmers and fishers.

Affected commodities include rice, corn, high value crops, livestock and poultry, and fisheries.

The DA said the values reported are subject to validation.

“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.

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 rolling out in areas affected by ‘Maymay’ and ‘Neneng’ to stabilize prices and supply of agri-fishery commodities,” the agency said.

The DA said the following assistance are 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 Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR)
• Survival and Recovery (SURE) Loan Program from the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC) with 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 agency said. —Ted Cordero/KBK, GMA News