DA chief: 16K hectares crops in Cagayan lost to ‘Pepeng’

Some 16,000 hectares of crops in Cagayan province were lost to typhoon “Pepeng" (Parma) after it swept through Northern Luzon last weekend, but Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap insisted that the crop damage will not affect food security. Yap said the 16,000 hectares was his initial assessment after an inspection of the area damaged by the typhoon. “Ang sinasabi sa initial report na 500 hectares na damage ay masyadong maliit. Palagay ko aakyat ng 15,000 to 16,000 hectares. Bagama’t ganoon ang nangyari, ang food security sa 2009 ay ‘di maaapektuhan (Initial reports that 500 hectares of crops were destroyed may be too small. I think it is 15,000 to 16,000 hectares. But this will still not impact on our food security for 2009)," he said in an interview on dzRH radio. He did not give figures on the cost of the 16,000-hectare loss in crops, but maintained the government is ready to import rice and other agricultural products if needed. On Sunday, Yap maintained the government still has enough rice stocks to last until yearend, despite the onslaughts of tropical cyclones “Ondoy" (Ketsana) and Pepeng (Parma). But he admitted the damage from the two cyclones may affect rice output in the first half of 2010. “Hindi ako kinakabahan... confident ako diyan. Ang issue dito ang aanihin natin na gagamitin natin sa first and second quarter ng 2010. Kung kakailanganin magangkat aangkat tayo (I am confident about our rice supply up to end-2009. The issue is our production for the first and second quarters of 2010. If needed, we will import rice)," Yap had said in an interview on dzBB radio. Yap also said the National Food Authority (NFA) is ready to bombard the market with NFA rice priced at P30 to P35 per kilo, to thwart attempts at profiteering. “Handa kami magbomba sa palengke kung kailangan ng additional rice support (We are ready to bombard the market with additional rice support to discourage profiteers)," he said. But he said the government and the private sector may have to import chicken, as many chicken houses were destroyed during the onslaught of “Ondoy." - GMANews.TV