The Department of Agriculture (DA) is set to release P1.3-billion worth of interventions as the agriculture sector reels from the impact of Typhoon Odette, the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines this year.

In a statement, the DA said it has at least P1.35 billion worth of readily-available assistance to farmers and fishers affected by Typhoon Odette, which recently brought devastating impacts to many parts of Visayas and Mindanao.

Of the agency’s P1.35 billion assistance fund, P1 billion would be withdrawn from the agency’s Quick Response Fund (QRF) and will be used for the rehabilitation of affected areas. The rest would be distributed as form rice seeds, corn seeds, seeds of assorted vegetables, fingerlings, loans, and insurance.

So far, the damage and losses that Typhoon Odette has bought to the agriculture sector already amounted to P333.4 million. This estimate was reported in regions CALABARZON, Bicol, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Central Mindanao, Davao, and Caraga.

Production loss stood at 19,640 metric tons from 23,198 hectares of damaged agricultural areas. Affected commodities include rice, corn, high-value crops, and fisheries. These values are subject to validation.The typhoon also affected 12,750 farmers and fishers.

“Additional damage and losses are expected in areas affected by Odette,” the DA said.

Prior to Odette’s landfall in the country, the area of standing crops that may be affected by the typhoon totals 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. This is based on the combined data of DA’s regional field offices (RFOs).

The DA is still conducting further assessment of damage and losses brought by Odette in the agriculture and fisheries sectors.

During the first three quarters of the year, inclement weather was one of the reasons why the country’s agricultural production fell. Philippines is among 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, while annual average losses of P48.9 billion from climate events represent 0.33 percent of each year’s average gross domestic product (GDP).

Based on the DA data, agriculture damages caused by Typhoon Maring alone 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.

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