Agricultural losses from the southwest monsoon rains enhanced by typhoon “Fabian” has reached P285.73 million, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said Tuesday, July 27. The agricultural losses and damage covered a total of 16,336 hectares (ha) of agricultural areas in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Ilocos region, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol Region, and Western Visayas. A total of 11,898 farmers were affected. This translated to 5,113 metric tons of production loss, the DA said. Affected commodities include rice, corn, several high value crops, and livestock. The agriculture department, however, bared that around P227.94 million worth of agricultural produce was saved from destruction due to the early harvesting of crops. A total of 2,398 ha of rice were harvested prior to the onset of the southwest monsoon rains in Regions II, III, and Calabarzon. This has an equivalent production of 12,649 metric tons. Farmers and fisherfolk will be given access to the department’s Quick Response Fund (QRF) for the rehabilitation of affected areas. They will also be provided with drugs and biologics for livestock and poultry needs. Meanwhile, the Survival and Recovery (SURE) Loan Program of the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC) will be tapped along with available funds from the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) to indemnify the affected farmers. Source - https://mb.com.ph