Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. has directed all regional offices of the Department of Agriculture in areas affected by recent tropical cyclones and the southwest monsoon to expedite damage verification and loss assessments, enabling the immediate rollout of assistance to affected farmers and fisherfolk.
His directive also covers the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation.
Tiu Laurel, who chairs the National Food Authority, said in a statement on Sunday that he had also ordered the quick release of rice stocks in areas urgently in need of support for ongoing disaster relief operations.
Citing data from the DA’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Center bulletin released on September 27, preliminary estimates place total farm and infrastructure losses at P1.38 billion, which reflect the combined impact of tropical cyclones Mirasol and Nando, along with Habagat, across nine regions.
DA said the report noted that around 55,595 farmers and agricultural workers have been affected who are tending approximately 47,723 hectares of farmland in the regions of Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Western Visayas, Northern Mindanao, and Soccsksargen.
The agency noted that preliminary estimates point to production losses of 109,997 metric tons across rice, corn, high-value crops, and livestock and poultry.
In response, DA prepared the distribution of 142,219 bags of palay seeds; 90,320 bags of corn seeds; 40,518 kilograms of vegetable seeds; 1.65 million fingerlings of tilapia, bangus, and carp; drug and biologics for livestock and poultry; and the immediate provision of Survival and Recovery Loans of up to P25,000 under the Agricultural Credit Policy Council, payable in three years at zero interest as well as crop insurance indemnification through PCIC.
Meanwhile, the agency expressed that it continues to gather field reports from areas affected by Severe Tropical Storm Opong, which affected key agricultural zones in central Philippines, including the islands of Mindoro and Masbate.
The agency, through the PCIC, has also allocated P236 million to indemnify 25,800 farmers for their losses across eight regions. Of this amount, P206 million is earmarked for rice-related losses.
At present, around 17,600 insured farmers are from the regions of Ilocos and Cagayan Valley or 68.2 percent of total claimants from eight regions.
On the other hand, NFA Administrator Larry Lacson said that 2.4 million sacks of rice have been earmarked for disaster response, representing around 27 percent of NFA’s total stockpile of 8.9 million bags in rice equivalent.
He noted that such volume is sufficient to meet national consumption needs for nine days.
In the Bicol region, Lacson said the NFA prepositioned and released 2,117 bags of rice as part of its pre-disaster response for communities affected by Nando and Habagat as local government units (LGUs) in Albay, Ligao, Daraga, Malilipot, Catanduanes, Baras, and Pili have already withdrawn their rice allocations from NFA warehouses to support affected residents.
The NFA chief also assured that their regional operations centers remain on full alert to back ongoing relief efforts.
As for Agriculture Assistant Secretary Genevieve Velicaria-Guevarra, who oversees the Kadiwa ng Pangulo program and the DA’s Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service, she assured the government will continue selling P20 per kg rice in coordination with LGUs, especially in affected areas where residents may not have received formal relief.
