Habagat, ‘Carina’ crop damage hits P251-M

The onslaught of Typhoon Carina (international name: Gaemi), which enhanced the Southwest Monsoon, or habagat, has caused damage to agriculture worth P251.21 million.

Based on the Department of Agriculture's (DA) latest assessment, the total volume of crop loss due to the combined effects of habagat and ‘Carina’ is  3,437 metric tons (MT), damaging 12,764  hectares (ha) of agricultural areas.

A total of 11,003 farmers were affected.

The rice crop registered the highest value loss of P228.23 million from the production loss of 2,912 MT, affecting a total area of  12,276 ha, of which 37 percent is unrecoverable.

North Cotabato remains the hardest hit, with a rice loss of between P60 million and P80 million.

Corn, on the other hand, had a loss of 297 MT from  316 ha affected. The estimated production loss was valued at P14.08 million.

A total of 228 MT was meanwhile reported for high-value crops (HVC), amounting to P8.75 million. 173 ha of HVC-planted areas were affected, with 19 percent totally completely damaged.

The highest output loss of P4 million to P5 million was incurred in Oriental Mindoro.

Livestock and poultry also registered 2,348 head losses, amounting to over P143,000, all reported in Oriental Mindoro.

DA will be distributing to the affected farmers seeds; the provision of the Survival and Recovery Loan Program from the Agricultural Credit Policy Council, with a loanable amount of up to P25,000 payable in three years at zero interest;  the Quick Response Fund for the rehabilitation of affected areas; and the deployment of available funds from the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation.

‘Carina’ is the third tropical storm in the country this year, as tropical depression Butchoy left the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Saturday, July 20.

‘Aghon’ was the first tropical cyclone in the country, which battered the country in May.

‘Carina’  left the PAR Thursday morning.