After two strong typhoons, PH's agri sector now reels from P5-B losses
Agriculture, the country's most promising sector for this year, is now reeling from damage and losses nearly P5 billion after being hit by two strong typhoons in the span of two weeks.
The latest data from the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (DRRM) showed that as of Wednesday, Typhoon Rolly already incurred damage and losses of about P2 billion, from the previously reported P1.75 billion, to the agriculture sector.
Quinta’s damage to the farm sector also grew to P2.56 billion from the previously reported P2.2 billion.
This brought the two typhoon’s combined damage to the agriculture sector P4.56 billion, affecting 77,958 farmers and 115,148 hectares of agricultural areas in Regions 3, 5, 6, 8, CALABARZON, and MIMAROPA.
Their combined production loss, as of Wednesday, is at 262,539 metric tons (MT), with rice and corn as the most affected commodities.
Other commodities that were destroyed include high value crops, fisheries, and livestock, while irrigation and other agricultural facilities were also damaged.
Super Typhoon Rolly made landfall in the country last weekend, wreaking havoc in several provinces in the country, especially Bicol and Quezon.
As of Wednesday, the number of farmers and the size of agricultural areas affected by this typhoon are now at 30,094 and 26,896 hectares, respectively. Volume of production loss is 116,962 metric tons (MT).
Affected areas are CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, Bicol Region and Eastern Visayas.
Around a week before Typhoon Rolly entered the Philippines, Typhoon Quinta also battered Southern Luzon.
Quinta so far resulted in 145,577 MT of volume loss, affecting 47,864 farmers and fisherfolk with 88,252 hectares of agricultural areas.
Affected areas are Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, Bicol Region, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas and Zamboanga Peninsula.
Despite the heavy damage, the DA is claiming that the country actually saved billions worth of production because of early advisory.
For Quinta, a total of 133,292 hectares of rice have been saved from Region CAR, 2, 3, 4-A, 6, and 7, with an equivalent production of 530,593 MT worth P7.66 billion.
Then for corn, a total of 26,910 hectares have been saved from Regions 2 and 5, with an equivalent production of 109,364 MT worth to P1.31 billion.
As for Rolly, a total of 242,368 hectares of rice has been saved from Regions 1, 2, 3, 4-A, and 5, with an equivalent production of 1.07 million MT worth P16.96 billion.
As for corn, a total of 11,132 hectares have been saved from Regions 1, 2, 5, and 8, with an equivalent production of 45,703 MT amounting to P579 million.
The DA is now in close coordination with concerned national government agencies and local government units to continuously assess the damage of Typhoon Quinta and Super Typhoon Rolly to the agriculture sector.
During the second quarter of the year, the agriculture sector was the only sector in the economy that registered growth.
At that time, the country officially entered its first recession in 29 years, seeing the gross domestic product (GDP) shrink by 16.5 percent from April to June. Of the total GDP, only agriculture, forestry, and fishing went up, recording a growth of 1.6 percent.