CITY OF SAN FERNANDO---The recent onslaught of the southwest monsoon (habagat) has left P346,609,713 in terms of play crop damages in Central Luzon with the Province of Pampanga incurring most of the damages at P216 million.
In the final report on damages of the southwest monsoon by the Department of Agriculture (DA), Pampanga sustained most of the damages followed by Tarlac province with P52,651,572 and Bulacan province with P39,432,175.
In Pampanga, at least 4,430 hectares were recorded as totally damaged with an estimated volume loss of 8,382 metric tons of palay.
The region also sustained P47,833,311 million damages in high value crops as well as P13,135,990 in terms of damages to corn corps.
DA Regional Director Andrew Villacorta said that the department has been doing efforts to assist farmers who have been affected by the flooding.
"The regional office has available 40,000 bags of palay certified seeds from buffer stock ready for distribution to affected farmers who opt to plant immediately and some of the affected farmers were insured at the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation," Villacorta said.