The partial amount of agricultural damage from “Lando” (international name “Koppu”) has reached almost P6 billion, affecting 277,060 hectares of agricultural areas and 386,834 metric tons (MT) of commodities in Regions 1, 2, 3, and Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), according to the Department of Agriculture (DA). Rice crop production incurred the highest amount of damage estimated at P5.277 billion, equivalent to 359,362 MT of palay in the four regions severely affected by the tropical cyclone. DA said 258,493 hectares have a chance of recovery, while 1,330 hectares could not be revived. Bulacan incurred the biggest loss in rice crop production with P662 million, followed by Tarlac with P520.6 million, and Isabela with P212 million. The agricultural damage to corn was worth P84.49 million, affecting 5,636 MT, while damage to high-value crops was worth P528.9 million, affecting 21,836 MT. The highest amount of losses to corn production was in Quirino with P35.77 million, and followed by Nueva Ecija with P14 million. Aurora incurred the highest loss in HVCs with P253.9 million, followed by Tarlac with P141.8 million. Meanwhile, livestock losses reached P517,560. Based on the DA’s field validation, more than 98 percent of the total affected area still has chances of recovery. Source - http://www.mb.com.ph