Due to the continuous heavy rains and floods brought by the combined effects of the northeast monsoon, shearline, and trough of the low-pressure area, the country’s agricultural worth of damage and losses now exceeds P359 million, the Department of Agriculture reported Sunday.

Based on their latest bulletin dated 18 February at 9 a.m., damage and losses have been reported amounting to P359.75 million, affecting 16, 521 farmers, with an output volume loss of 3,368 metric tons on 23,240 hectares of affected farmlands.

Rice incurred the biggest damage and losses, affecting 22,213 hectares of rice areas, with a volume loss of 753 MT amounting to P311.94 million

Compostela Valley is the hardest-hit area, with a value loss of between P60 and P66 million.

Davao del Norte, on the other hand, suffered a value loss between P40 million and P60 million, followed by the provinces of Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Sur, and Davao Oriental, which suffered a loss of not exceeding P20 million.

Most of the affected areas are in newly planted and vegetative stages.

Meanwhile, 704 hectares of corn farmlands were affected, with a volume loss of 2,006 MT amounting to P41.87 million.

Agusan del Norte incurred the highest value loss of corn, amounting to between P20 million and P25 million, while Davao del Norte’s value loss is between P5 million and P10 million, followed by the provinces of Surigao del Sur, Agusan del Sur, and Compostela Valley, whose value loss is less than P5 million.

On high-yielding crops including assorted vegetables, fruits, bananas, and commercial crops such as cocoa, 323 hectares of plantations were affected, resulting in a volume loss of 608 MT worth P5.75 million.

Davao del Norte is the province most affected, with an estimated value loss of P5 million to 6 million, followed by Surigao del Sur and Agusan del Sur with not more than P1 million in value loss.

Lastly, livestock and poultry have registered a loss of 28 heads valued over P202,000.

Agusan del Sur is the most affected province, with a value loss of P200,000 to P300,000.

With this, the DA will extend aid to the affected farmers, including the provision of P13.4 million worth of rice, corn, and assorted vegetable seeds; the Survival and Recovery Loan Program from the Agricultural Credit Policy Council with a loanable amount of up to P 25,000 payable in three years at zero interest; and the Quick Response Fund for the early recovery and rehabilitation of affected areas.

Earlier this week, Agusan del Sur Governor Santiago Cane Jr. presented in a situation briefing with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. the latest report on their province's damage and losses due to the weather disturbances, with an amount of over P2,295,000,000, of which more than P1,999,000,000 accounts for the infrastructure sector and more than P297,000,000 is from the agriculture sector.