A group of farmers are wary of the potentially devastating impact of Typhoon Odette on agriculture production and has asked the Department of Agriculture (DA) to prepare early work to mitigate potential losses.

In an advisory, the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) said the DA, together with local government units, must “prepare early and work round-the-clock” to prevent agricultural losses and damages in the light of Typhoon Odette.

As of Thursday morning and even before making landfall, Typhoon Odette (Rai) already started bringing massive rainfall in some parts of Mindanao.

On the forecast track of PAGASA, Odette is forecasted to make landfall in the vicinity of Caraga or Eastern Visayas Thursday evening and will reach a peak intensity of 155 to 165 kilometers per hour (kph).

KMP said the DA must pre-position seeds, seedlings, and relief packs for farmers, and fast-track the distribution of aid and production subsidies.

“Farmers along the track of the storm are bracing themselves for the possible impact of Typhoon Odette. The government must do its part to prevent and minimize damages to farmers and the rural population. Farmers cannot take any more blows to their livelihood. The pandemic and successive typhoons and calamities since last year resulted in heavy losses and debts,” said KMP Chairperson Danilo Ramos.

Areas to be affected by Odette are Caraga, Central Visayas, Misamis Oriental, Camiguin, Southern Leyte, Negros Occidental. Parts of Leyte, Eastern Samar, Zamboanga del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Northern Mindanao, Davao region, Bicol, Quezon will also experience inclement weather.

As preparation for Odette, the DA’s regional field offices (RFO) along the track of the tropical cyclone said they have already activated their DA Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Operation Centers; prepositioned seeds for rice and corn, drugs, and biologics for livestock and poultry in safe storage facilities; and coordinate with LGUs and other Regional DRRM -related offices.

Based on the combined data of DA’s RFOs in Regions IV-A to XIII, the area of standing crops that may be affected by Typhoon Odette totals to 585,814 hectares, which accounts for 62.92 percent of the national standing crops for rice, and 265,480 hectares, which 77.41 percent of the national standing crops for corn.

During the first three quarters of the year, inclement weather was one of the reasons why the country’s agricultural production fell. Based on DA data, agriculture damages caused by Typhoon Maring reached P1.7 billion, while damages from Typhoon Jolina reached P1.36 billion. The southwest monsoon, enhanced by Typhoon Fabian, also caused P698.53 million worth of farm losses.

Right now, the Philippines is among the countries most exposed to the physical risks of climate change, particularly storms and floods.

In fact, climate-related hazards have caused P506.1-billion (around $10 billion) in losses and damages to the country from 2010 to 2020.

Annual average losses of P48.9 billion from climate events represent 0.33 percent of each year’s average gross domestic product (GDP).

In 2020, the onslaught of typhoons, including Typhoon Ulysses, caused a combined P16 billion in damages to agriculture and infrastructure.