Agriculture assessed P8.7 billion damages in Central Luzon

BALER, Aurora, October 19, 2011-Department of Agriculture (DA) Region 3, Regional Director Andrew Villacorta revealed that Central Luzon suffered P8.7 billion damages in agriculture and fisheries where the province of Nueva Ecija was battered most by the bedlam of storms and in need most for recovery.

Villacorta said that Nueva Ecija, dubbed rice granary of the Philippines, accounted for almost half the total damages in agriculture and fisheries of the region; even not close to Bulacan with a subsequent P2.1 billion wound.

The province together with the other six provinces in Central Luzon struggled with what old-timers have considered the most destructive floods since 1972. Typhoons Pedring and Quiel’s assault to the Philippines ranked 176 in think tank Wikipedia’s list of deadliest floods in the world, while the 1972 deluge in Luzon placed 88.

Nueva Ecija incurred an estimated P3.7 billion in damages, followed by Bulacan with P2 billion and Pampanga with P1.3 billion in rice crops while Tarlac sustained a P900 million injury, Bataan P340 million, Zambales P155 million, and Aurora with P46 million damages brought by typhoons.

Villacorta said that the rice supply of Central Luzon will not be affected with the 285,000 has of damaged farmlands but the supply for the whole of the country may see a paltry shortfall.

The province of Bulacan topped the list of the most ravaged fish farms with P109 million in damages, followed by Pampanga with P49 million and Bataan with P29 million. Over 7,000 hectares of fishponds were affected together with species of milkfish, tilapia and tiger prawns.

Villacorta said that the region will need P236 million to rehabilitate the agriculture sector and provide assistance to the afflicted 350,000 farmers.

Over P206 million is seen to help prop up the rice production, P21 million for the fisheries, P4 million for livestock, P2 million for high value commercial crops, and P1 million for the corn industry.

Villacorta said that the DA is providing assistance to farmers of 100 percent subsidy on hybrid and certified rice seeds for totally damaged crops and 50 percent for the partially damaged. (Jason de Asis)