Typhoon ‘Ambo’ leaves ₱1-billion damage to agriculture

Typhoon "Ambo" had so far wrought damage and losses worth ₱1.04 billion to the agriculture sector, leaving as many as 21,655 farmers and fisherfolk reeling from its impact.

Based on a data from the Department of

Agriculture’s (DA) Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (DRRM), "Ambo's" onslaught had so far resulted in production loss of 62,228 metric tons (MT) with as much as 20,652 hectares of agricultural areas damaged.

The damage covers several areas in Central Luzon, CALABARZON (Cavite

Laguna-Batangas-Rizal-Quezon), Bicol, and Eastern Visayas Regions.

DRRM's latest report came two days after Agriculture Secretary William Dar downplayed the possible impact of "Ambo" to the agriculture sector.

Dar said that overall, the typhoon will not incur significant damage to the agriculture sector since most farmers in the affected provinces have already harvested their crops.

It turns out that the most affected agriculture commodities would be high value crops, accounting for 73 percent or ₱755.57 million of the total damage and losses. Some of the most badly hit products are bananas and papayas in Quezon province.

Other affected commodities are rice, corn, assorted vegetables, livestock, and fisheries as well as fish stock, facilities, and equipment.

The DA emphasized that due to the early advisory issued by Dar, 93,507 hectares of farms have been harvested for rice and 76,474 hectares for corn.

This helped farmers save ₱7 billion worth of palay or around 416,732 MT of rice and ₱2.2 billion worth of corn, amounting to 211,827 MT.

Moreover, the rain brought about by "Ambo" was likewise beneficial to the dams in Central Luzon, raising the water levels of Angat and Pantabangan dams, the DA pointed out.

The agency had already set aside ₱700 million from its Quick Response Fund (QRF) to bankroll its calamity recovery efforts for the agriculture sector.