Agricultural damage from Mayon Volcano's ongoing unrest has reached PHP14.4 million, affecting 314 farmers and fishers in Albay, the Department of Agriculture-Bicol Region (DA-5) said Friday.
DA-5 spokesperson Lovella Guarin said 1,466 metric tons of high-value crops and fisheries were damaged by ashfall across 116 hectares of farmland and fishponds.
“Some are fishponds covered with ashfall. Some are within the six-kilometer permanent danger zone,” Guarin said in an interview.
She said initial assistance includes farm inputs for communal gardens in evacuation centers and cattle feed for livestock. The DA has PHP324 million in buffer stock ready for release to farmers once they can return to farms outside the danger zone.
Affected farmers may claim insurance from the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation and access a PHP25,000 loan under the Survival and Recovery Assistance Program.
In a separate report, DA-5 said the number of farmers and fishers registered in the national database rose to 551,765 in 2025, up from 535,174 in 2024.
Source - https://www.pna.gov.ph
