The agriculture sector incurred P5.6 billion in damage and losses due to typhoons “Quinta” and “Rolly.”
(Photo by Erik DE CASTRO / AFP / MANILA BULLETIN)
DA Secretary William Dar said palay production was the most affected by the onslaught of the two successive powerful typhoons.
“Kung ico-convert natin ‘yung tama sa palay sa daily consumption natin sa Pilipinas ay apat na araw ‘yung bumaba (If we were to convert the damage in palay to the country’s daily rice consumption, it will be equivalent to four days,” he said.
Dar assured that the country still has enough supply of rice to last for three months.
“Meron tayong present inventory na 94 days, minus four, meron pa tayong tatlong buwan na sapat na bigas para sa ating bansa (Our inventory prior the typhoons was at 94 days, so minus four, we still have enough rice to last for three months),” he said.
The DA chief also said that palay production worth P26.5 billion was saved due to its early warning system to farmers.
“Bago dumating etong typhoon, any typhoon for that matter, ay nag-abiso na tayo ng early warning syetem na sinasabi namin kung anong puwedeng anihin ay anihin na (Before the typhoon came, or any typhoon for that matter, we advised farmers to harvest all those that they can already harvest),” he said.