DA: Juaning leaves over P937-M in farm damages

Tropical Storm Juaning, which battered the Bicol region and northern Luzon last week, wrought P937.7 million in farm damages, the Department of Agriculture reported on over the weekend. Valued at P392.6 million, the largest was sustained by irrigation facilities, according to reports from DA regional field units. About P326.6 million worth of standing corn crops. Also damaged were palay or paddy rice [P202 million], high value commercial crops (P14.1 mllion0), and fisheries facilities (P1.1 million). The affected palay areas involve 32,621 hectares in nine rice-producing provinces, with 2,957 metric tons (MT) of paddy rice reportedly lost in the storm. This forms 0.08 percent of the Philippines’ national target production of 3.49 million MT in the third quarter of 2011. Meanwhile, the corn crops damaged totaled 23,502 MT from four corn-producing provinces, with about 17,620 hectares affected by Juaning. This volume represents 1 percent of the Philippines’ target production of 2.35 million MT for the third quarter. — PE/VS, GMA News