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The agricultural industry again found itself at the center of a series of calamities, as the combined number of typhoons “Quinta”, “Rolly” and “Ulysses” for the sector is now nearly P10 billion.
More reports are coming in from the regional offices of the Department of Agriculture (DA) as more provinces are able to recover power supplies. As of Friday afternoon, the combined amount of damages and losses caused by Quinta and Rolly reached P8.46 billion, while the preliminary estimate for Ulysses was P969.8 million.
This brings the losses to P9.43 billion so far. Agriculture Secretary William Dar said they expected Ulises’ damage count to reach 1,000 million pesetas, given the devastation he left in the Rizal and Bicol provinces.
Some regions like Bicol and Calabarzon were simultaneously ravaged by Quinta, Rolly, and Ulysses, leaving no room for farmers and fishermen to at least save what was left of their farms and equipment.
Others not only saw their livelihood shattered, but also lost their homes.
The DA’s disaster risk reduction management council reported that some 147,059 stakeholders were affected by the three typhoons and 275,013 hectares of agricultural areas hit. The currently estimated production loss is 385,463 metric tons in rice, corn, high-value crops, fish and livestock.
Irrigation systems and other agricultural facilities were not saved, which means additional expenses for repairs.
Other regions affected by the calamities were Cordillera Adminstrative Region, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Mimaropa, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas and Zamboanga Peninsula.
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