Floodwaters swamped several rice fields in Isabela, leaving many farmers in distress as the harvest season turns into a struggle for recovery.

In Santiago City, flood-hit paddies lie flattened after being battered by heavy rains brought by Typhoon #PaoloPH on October 3, 2023.

Farmers said the crops were nearly ready for harvest before the typhoon struck.

“Sa aming magsaska, i-harvest [sana] namin may pangkain man lang,” Cris Garcia, a farmer, said.

“Isang ektarya hindi na namin naani, nabaha na,” Benito Manuel, another farmer, added.

Aside from the losses caused by the flood, farmers also face low buying prices for palay, which have dropped to P8 per kilo. Many traders are reportedly refusing to buy waterlogged rice grains.

The provincial government said the Department of Agriculture continues to validate the extent of agricultural damage while preparing assistance for affected farmers.

Exiquiel Quilang, spokesperson of the Isabela Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, said water levels are receding gradually.

“Ito ay indication na bumababa na ang level ng tubig sa Cagayan River,” Quilang said.

Despite the widespread flooding, authorities assured that the province’s overall rice production will not be severely affected, since more than 70 percent of farmers had already completed their harvest before Typhoon Paolo’s landfall.

Earlier, in Calasiao, Pangasinan, rice farmers also face huge losses as floodwaters submerged over 40 hectares of rice fields, with total damages estimated at over P2 million.