The initial cost of damage to the agriculture sector from the combined effects of Typhoon Bising and the southwest monsoon was estimated at P300,000, the latest data from the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Operations Center showed.
The DA-attached agency said that as of Tuesday, July 8, the damage that was estimated that much affected 13 farmers in 25 hectares and involved the loss of 29 metric tons of palay.
The DA said the field reports came from the Calabarzon region. More reports of damage and losses are expected to come into the DRRMOC in its ongoing field assessment and validation, the DA said.
The DA said its regional field offices have been helping assess the damage and losses brought by the weather systems in the agriculture and fishery sector; coordinate with concerned government offices on the impact of the weather systems, and on available resources for interventions and assistance; and monitor markets for possible changes in the prices of agricultural commodities.
As for available interventions in response to the needs of farmers affected by the weather systems, the agency said it has been providing agricultural inputs such as rice, corn, and vegetable seeds, and has been using the Quick Response Fund for the rehabilitation and recovery of affected areas.
The DA added that up to P25,000 in loanable amounts from the Survival and Recovery Loan Program of the Agricultural Credit Policy Council, payable in three years at zero interest, will be available to insured and affected farmers, on top of the indemnification granted to insured growers by the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp.
