MANILA (September 27) – The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Friday assured farmers and fishers affected by Tropical Depression Mirasol, Super Typhoon Nando (international name: Ragasa), and the ongoing Severe Tropical Storm Opong (international name: Bualoi) of more than ₱3 billion worth of government assistance.
DA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said the agency has prepositioned interventions across various regions, including seeds, agricultural inputs, and veterinary supplies.
“If we sum it up, these are worth more than ₱3 billion already of items and goods that are available to respond, up to typhoon Opong,” de Mesa said in a phone interview.
The assistance package includes 142,219 bags of palay seeds, 91,485 bags of corn seeds, 40,518 kilograms of assorted vegetable seeds, and more than 1.19 million tilapia, bangus, and catfish fingerlings. The National Food Authority (NFA) has also readied 2.4 million bags of rice for distribution to local government units and relief agencies.
Financial assistance programs are also in place, including loan and indemnification packages for affected farmers, while a quick response fund will be mobilized for the recovery and rehabilitation of damaged farmlands, de Mesa added.
As of Friday, the DA-Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Operations Center reported ₱964.45 million in agricultural damage from Mirasol and Nando, up from the initial ₱565.05 million. The damage affected 32,738 farmers and fishers, with production losses reaching 82,557 metric tons across 32,384 hectares in the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, and Western Visayas.
Cagayan Valley bore the brunt of the losses, particularly the province of Cagayan, which recorded ₱653 million in damage, followed by Isabela with ₱134 million, Ilocos Norte with ₱60 million, Batangas with ₱22 million, and Pangasinan with nearly ₱16 million.
By sector, the rice industry suffered the largest losses, valued at ₱687.92 million for 66,125 metric tons in lost production. Corn losses followed at ₱190.32 million, while high-value crops—including vegetables, fruits, spices, and legumes—accounted for ₱81.71 million.
The livestock and poultry sector reported ₱927,000 in losses, covering 370 heads of chicken, swine, cattle, carabao, goat, sheep, duck, horse, and turkey. Cassava incurred ₱21,000 in damage.
Meanwhile, losses to agricultural infrastructure stood at ₱3 million, with irrigation systems damaged at ₱500,000, and farm machinery and equipment at ₱15,000.
