Agriculture damage from Quinta, Rolly, Ulysses now at ₱12.3B

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 18) — Losses incurred by farmers and fisherfolk in the wake of the devastation caused by Typhoons Quinta and Ulysses and Super Typhoon Rolly have reached around ₱12.3 billion, latest government data indicate.

As of 8 a.m. Wednesday, the Operations Center of the Department of Agriculture’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Operations Center estimated the damage cost from Ulysses (international name: Vamco) at ₱3.84 billion, affecting 104,733 farmers & fisherfolk and 101,904 hectares of land. The volume of production loss is at 160,873 metric tons, the operations center added. 

“The affected commodities include rice, corn, high-value crops, fisheries, livestock, irrigation facilities, and agricultural infrastructures in Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon and Bicol Region,” the DA-DRRM unit noted.

For Quinta (international name: Molave), the losses are calculated at ₱2.66 billion, with 57,858 farmers and fisherfolk as well as 96,474 hectares of agricultural areas in Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol Region, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas and Zamboanga Peninsula affected.

Rolly (international name: Goni), on the other hand, left ₱5.79 billion worth of damage, affecting the sources of income of some 48,682 farmers and fisherfolk in Cordillera, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol Region, and Eastern Visayas.

The department earlier said it has been helping affected farmers and fisherfolk by providing seeds, fertilizers, as well as loans and financial assistance, including indemnity worth ₱10,000 to ₱15,000.

Quinta, which hit the country in late October, killed 27 persons, injured 40, and left four others missing, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. It affected over 800,000 people in Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Central Visayas, Western Visayas, and Eastern Visayas, the NDRRMC said. 

Rolly, which slammed the Philippines in early November, left 25 dead with 399 injured and six missing. More than 2 million people in Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Eastern Visayas, Cordillera, Metro Manila, and especially Bicol have been affected by it. 

Ulysses, meanwhile, exited the weather monitoring area last week after triggering deadly floods and landslides. The death toll from Ulysses is now at 73, with 24 injured and 19 still missing. 

CNN Philippines also sought the latest figures on infrastructure damage brought by the three typhoons from the Department of Public Works and Highways. It has yet to receive a reply from the agency.

However, based on the latest report by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council specifically for Ulysses, the damage to infrastructure amounted to ₱5.77 billion, while damage to agriculture reached ₱2.89 billion, bringing the total to around ₱8 billion.

A total of 3,452,360 persons or 827,260 families were affected by Ulysses. There are 223,378 persons or 55,921 families still staying in evacuation centers.