Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 8) — Agricultural damage from the eruption of Mount Bulusan in Sorsogon has reached more than ₱16 million, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said Wednesday. It was smaller than the figure earlier reported by the disaster management agency.
The total was lower than the initial ₱20.28 million damage reported by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
The DA said the situation has affected 473 farmers and fishers, and 389 hectares of agricultural areas.
The volume of production loss in the towns of Juban, Casiguran, and Irosin has risen to 695 metric tons, the department added.
The DA said it would provide the following assistance and programs to affected agricultural producers:
— Rice, corn, and assorted vegetable seeds;
— Drugs and biologics for livestock and poultry;
— Survival and Recovery (SURE) Program of Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC);
— Available funds from Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) to indemnify affected farmers;
— Quick Response Fund (QRF) for the rehabilitation of affected areas.
The DA said its regional office continues to monitor the situation, together with the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council of Sorsogon and municipal local government units.
Based on the DA’s latest bulletin, the damage to rice, lowland vegetables, and fisheries after Bulusan’s phreatic eruption was estimated at ₱16.85 million.
