'Bebeng' leaves agricultural damage estimated at P1 B

Manila, Philippines - Tropical storm “Bebeng” left agricultural damage estimated at nearly P1 billion, based on preliminary estimates of the Department of Agriculture (DA).

Bebeng battered several provinces in Luzon last weekend, also leaving at least 31 people dead, nine injured and three missing.

As of last Wednesday, DA reported that crop damage in six Bicol provinces had reached P928.67 million, affecting 14,405 hectares of agriculture lands mainly in Albay and Camarines Sur.

Bulk of the damage – P431.7 million – was on rice crops with 12,356 hectares of rice fields, or roughly 24,149 metric tons (MT) of palay already in the reproductive and mature stage, affected.

The DA remains optimistic though that the damage suffered by the rice sector would have “minimal” effect on production targets, saying the losses represented only 0.32 percent of the total production forecast of 7.61 million MT for the first semester.

The DA added that 6,890 hectares, or more than 50 percent of the total affected rice areas, may still be recovered.

Damage to agricultural equipment, facilities and infrastructure was placed at P456 million.

Aside from palay, 1,898 hectares of corn was also affected, with the production loss estimated at 2,194 MT, valued at P34.2 million.

The DA, however, gave assurance that the damage to the corn sector represented a minimal 0.7 percent of the national production forecast for the first semester.

Meanwhile, no tropical cyclone is expected to affect the country this weekend, only rains brought about by the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ), the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said yesterday.

PAGASA acting administrator Nathaniel Servando said generally good weather condition associated with warm and humid temperature will prevail over the country in the next few days.

Servando said the low-pressure area spotted east of the country early this week has dissipated.

He said the ITCZ will be the prevailing weather system this weekend, with

short-lived rains, especially in the afternoon.

– With Helen Flores, Jaime Laude