Agri Dept. estimates crop damage from 'Mina' at P1.224B

The damage caused by Typhoon Mina on crops totaled P1.224 billion as of August 30, the Department of Agriculture said Wednesday. Palay or paddy rice took the biggest hit with estimated damage of P776.33 million, followed by corn at P419.41 million, data from the Agriculture Action Center showed. The department said 55,359 hectares of rice fields with estimated 46,554 metric tons of palay were wasted, while high-value commercial crops sustained P17.97 million in losses. In the fisheries sector, the DA said some facilities were also destroyed by “Mina" to the tune of P1.52 million and up to P4.55 million in production losses. Damage to farm infrastructure amounted to P4.75 million, it added. To help farmers recover from the devastation, the DA activated its seed assistance program, the same strategy it employed in emergency crop rehabilitation efforts in the aftermath of other typhoons. With the emergency crop rehabilitation in place, the DA said it is optimistic the Philippines will attain its self-imposed target of 17.29 million MT in paddy rice production and 7.1 million MT in corn output this year. The first half of 2011 was marked by banner production in both rice and corn, reaching 7.57 million MT and 3.309 million MT, respectively. For the second half, palay production is forecast to reach 9.717 million MT with corn harvest placed at 3.795 million MT. —JMT/VS, GMA News