MANILA – Government aid for farmers and fishers affected by Severe Tropical Storm Crising (international name Wipha) and the enhanced southwest monsoon has reached nearly PHP1.2 billion, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Wednesday.
In a virtual press briefing, Agriculture spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arnel De Mesa assured that the interventions are already prepositioned for distribution.
Initial assistance includes PHP545.56 million worth of rice, corn, and vegetable seeds to farmers in Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, and Soccsksargen.
The Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC) has also allocated PHP400 million under its Survival and Recovery (SURE) loan program, which offers up to PHP25,000 per borrower, payable over three years.
“Iyong ACPC, they allocated about PHP400 million para sa kanilang (for their) SURE loan. Ito yung PHP25,000 na (This is) payable in three years,” De Mesa said.
He also said the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC) has allocated PHP268 million worth of indemnification to 45,980 insured farmers in the country.
“PCIC will be releasing indemnities to insured farmers in areas affected by STS Crising starting next week,” he told the Philippine News Agency in a separate message.
As of Wednesday, the agriculture losses increased to 10,595 metric tons (MT) worth PHP323.15 million, higher than the 6,643 MT amounting to PHP217.5 million on Tuesday, according to the DA-Disaster Risk Reduction Management (DRRM) Operations Center.
At least 14,772 farmers and fishers were reportedly affected.
The rice sector logged the highest damage at about 6,703 MT in losses worth PHP212.60 million, in at least 14,842 hectares of rice lands.
De Mesa noted this volume is still within the annual average rice loss of 500,000 to 600,000 MT.
Meanwhile, the DA said damage was also recorded in high-value crops, including lowland and upland vegetables, spices, legumes, watermelon, banana, pineapple, papaya, and root crops at PHP82.63 million; corn production at PHP22.13 million; 965 heads of chicken, swine, cattle, carabao, goat, duck, sheep, turkey, and guinea fowl in the livestock and poultry worth PHP5.33 million; PHP44,950 worth of loss in fisheries, including tilapia and milkfish fingerlings, as well as motorized boat and fishpond dike, affecting 10 fishers; cassava amounting to PHP353,080; and PHP60,000 worth of damage in infrastructures, machinerys, and equipment. (PNA)