‘Kristine’ agri damage at P80.8 million — DA

Metro Manila, Philippines — The country posted agricultural damage worth P80.8 million due to the effects of Severe Tropical Storm Kristine, according to an initial assessment of the Department of Agriculture (DA) on Thursday, Oct. 24.

The DA said the initial damage covered 1,570 hectares of affected farm areas across four regions, translating to more than 5,000 metric tons of production volume loss.

Kristine badly damaged rice and corn sectors in Bicol region and Mimaropa, but the DA is expecting the value to swell as more reports come in.

In an interview on Friday, Oct. 25, DA spokesperson Arnel de Mesa said the agency has also received reports from Kalinga of P2 million worth of agricultural damage.

According to De Mesa, around 70% of crops were already harvested ahead of the onslaught of Kristine, but losses are still expected.

The DA official said the country’s rice program has trimmed its projection for this year’s palay harvest to around 19.3 million metric tons.

De Mesa said almost 3.6 million metric tons already arrived in the country, which could support supply amid expected lower local production.

“And with this number, ‘yung historical trend ng [and the historical trend for] importation towards the last quarter, we can still expect up to 100 days [of] national stock inventory after the end of the year,” De Mesa said.

The DA said it is providing P80.21 million worth of agriculture inputs for rice, corn, and vegetable seeds, drugs, and biologics for livestocks amid the aftermath of Kristine. Loans and indemnification will also be available.