Agricultural damage due to Typhoon Goring reaches nearly ₱900 million

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 2) — At least ₱898.4 million worth of agricultural products have been damaged due to the onslaught of Typhoon Goring, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Saturday.

Its bulletin showed that a total of 24,547 farmers were affected by the storm that battered most parts of northern Luzon.

Farmers lost 39,011 metric tons of crops in 34,979 hectares of agricultural land, it added.

The latest amount is an uptick from the ₱504.4 million recorded on Sept. 1 due to updated reports from the Cagayan Valley and Western Visayas regions, the DA said.

Rice is the most damaged commodity with losses reaching 29,337 MT, which is pegged at ₱751.5 million.

This is followed by corn with losses at ₱139.2 million, other high value crops at ₱5.5 million, and livestock and poultry at ₱2.3 million.

The DA said ₱100 million worth of rice, corn, and assorted vegetable seeds were prepared for affected farmers. Medicine for livestock and poultry were also available, it added.

Moreover, the department will provide loans of up to ₱25,000, which is payable in three years at zero interest.

Goring left the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Aug. 30.

Meanwhile, the Department of Public Works and Highways said the estimated cost of damage to infrastructure has reached ₱379.58 million as of Sept. 1.