BAGUIO CITY – The Department of Agriculture in the Cordillera Administrative Region (DA-CAR) on Tuesday reported that some 14,399 metric tons (MT) of assorted agricultural products amounting to PHP308,722,461 were damaged due to Typhoon Ulysses affecting 10,212 farmers.
Corn products recorded the most losses at PHP167.7 million; followed by rice at PHP114.16 million; high-value crops PHP24.33 million; livestock and poultry PHP2.42 million; and cassava PHP50,000.
Dr. Cameron Odsey, DA-CAR OIC regional director, said Ifugao was the most affected reporting losses at PHP139.909 million; Apayao recorded PHP69.207 million; Kalinga with PHP35.115 million; Mountain Province with PHP30.260 million; Benguet with PHP18.212 million; and Abra PHP16.017 million.
Odsey said they continue to receive reports from the provinces and municipalities as validation continues to be done on the field to have a full picture of the effect of “Ulysses” to the agricultural crops in the region.
He said the DA-CAR is ready to assist the affected farmers who lost their produce due to the typhoon.
“We have funds for seeds and fertilizer procurement to assist (the) farmers,” he said.
Odsey said 77 percent of the losses on agriculture was classified as “partial damage” while 23 percent as “total damage”.
DA Secretary William Dar earlier said that about 80 to 85 percent of the highland vegetable requirements of the country comes from Benguet province.
Currently, highland vegetables recorded 564 MT in losses worth PHP24.3 million, which was quite minimal compared to the volume of assorted highland vegetable products being transported out of the vegetable trading post in La Trinidad, Benguet.
Odsey said they do not see a big dent in the supply of vegetables as the damaged crops were mostly newly planted and can immediately be replaced.
“Many of those partially damaged are in early stages of the crops so these can be replaced immediately while others may still survive,” he said.
Vegetables are short gestation plants, with some taking even less than a month to be ready for harvest. **By Liza Agoot, PNA
