According to the Department of Agriculture (DA), Super Typhoon Julian damaged more than PHP 600 million worth of agricultural property and impacted 33,110 farmers in its ravaging of Northern Luzon in October.
The number of families impacted by the strong typhoon has also increased to 91,871, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
“Based on the assessment of DA Regional Field Offices (RFOs) in Cordillera, Administrative Region (CAR), Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, and Central Luzon, damage and losses have been reported in rice, corn, high-value crops, livestock & poultry, irrigation, and agricultural facilities amounting to PHP607.38 million,” the DA-Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Operations Center said
Impact on the rice sector
The rice industry suffered the largest loss, amounting to 21,875 metric tons (MT) and PHP427.65 million.
Ilocos Norte recorded the most damage to rice output, followed by Ilocos Sur, Kalinga, La Union, Pangasinan, and Pampanga.
In Batanes, Ilocos Norte, Cagayan, Mountain Province, and Isabela, damage to agri-infrastructure was recorded at PHP92.68 million for damaged irrigation facilities and PHP13.22 million for other farm structures.
The corn industry also reported a loss of about PHP38.95 million, with high-value crops coming in second at PHP31.13 million, and cattle and poultry at PHP3.76 million.
People affected
Over 317,671 people, from 950 communities in the Ilocos region, Cagayan Valley, and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), according to the NDRRMC, were also affected.
Five people have died–four of them from the Ilocos area and one in the Cagayan Valley.
An estimated PHP934.4 million was spent on fixing the infrastructure damage, resulting in about 2,548 damaged houses.
