Super Typhoon Julian damage to agriculture at P607.38 million

MANILA, Philippines — The damage of Super Typhoon Julian to the agriculture sector in four regions has ballooned to P607.38 million, according to the Department of Agriculture.

According to the DA’s operations’ center, as of 8 a.m. yesterday, the losses reported were for rice, corn, high-value crops, livestock and poultry, irrigation and agricultural facilities in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos Region (Region 1), Cagayan Valley (Region 2) and Central Luzon (Region 3).

The DA said production loss reached 25,407 metric tons covering 17,344 hectares of agricultural areas and affecting 33,110 farmers.

“The volume of production losses from the affected agricultural areas is estimated at 21,875 MT for palay, 2,778 MT for corn and 755 MT for high-value crops,” the DA said.

Based on the report of the DA, the bulk of the damage or about 70 percent was recorded with rice totaling P427.65 million covering 14,950 hectares, followed by irrigation facilities at P92.68 million.

Meanwhile, the damage to corn plantations reached P38.95 million affecting 2,036 hectares; high-value crops, P31.13 million affecting 358 hectares; agricultural infrastructure, P13.22 million and livestock and poultry, P3.76 million.

According to the DA, at least P166.67 million worth of agricultural inputs, like rice, corn and vegetable seeds were distributed to the affected farmers.

The DA said affected farmers can avail themselves of the P25,000 loanable amount from the Survival and Recovery Loan Program of the Agricultural Credit Policy Council payable in three years at zero interest.

The DA said the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. is ready to indemnify the affected farmers.

“As field assessments and validations continue, further damage and losses are expected in the affected regions, particularly on palay and high value crops in Cagayan Valley,” the DA said.

Batanes relief

Government agencies and uniformed services are actively working on relief efforts in typhoon-hit Batanes, the Office of Civil Defense said yesterday.

OCD administrator Ariel Nepomuceno said it is working with various government bodies and uniformed services to support the victims of Super Typhoon Julian in Batanes, which is currently under a state of calamity due to the storm’s devastating impact.

“We remain committed to assisting the affected communities in Batanes as they recover from Super Typhoon Julian. President Marcos and our NDRRMC (National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council) chair, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, are closely monitoring the situation and guiding response efforts to address the aftermath of this disaster,” Nepomuceno said.

Along with officials of the Department of Social Welfare and Development and Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, Nepomuceno conducted an aerial inspection of Batanes and met with Gov. Marilou Cayco to assess the situation on Oct. 3.

President Marcos arrived the following day for a meeting with local government officials to further evaluate the province’s needs.

National government officials were directed to collaborate on enhancing rehabilitation efforts.

During the briefing, Teodoro gave assurance that construction materials would be provided to families whose homes were damaged.

The Office of the President has extended over P42.78 million in financial assistance to the Batanes local government unit.

Two KC-130J Hercules aircraft from the United States III Marine Expeditionary Force arrived at the Villamor Air Base on Saturday to transport essential relief supplies to Laoag Airport for the typhoon victims in Batanes.

Due to the aircraft’s weight, which poses a risk of damaging the runway in Batanes, a direct flight to the province was not feasible.

The relief goods will be transferred from Laoag to Batanes using US MV-22 Ospreys and CH-53 helicopters.

As of Sunday, three batches of relief supplies have been delivered to Laoag on US aircraft, with the final batch scheduled for departure yesterday.