Manila: The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Friday assured that the agricultural damage caused by heavy monsoon rains last week will not affect the overall target of 20.46 million metric tons (MT) of palay (unhusked rice) output for the year. This declaration comes amid rising agricultural damage, now valued at PHP3 billion, due to enhanced southwest monsoon and successive tropical cyclones affecting 93,070 farmers and fishers.
According to Philippines News Agency, the rice sector, particularly those in the newly planted and vegetative stages, experienced the highest volume loss at 55,521 MT, valued at PHP1.69 billion. However, DA Assistant Secretary and deputy spokesperson Joycel Panlilio remains optimistic. In a phone interview, she emphasized that the losses are not significant enough to hinder the target, citing a historic-high palay harvest of over 9.077 million MT during the first semester, which already accounts for more than 40 percent of the 2025 target.
Panlilio explained that the remaining requirement is about 11.38 million MT, noting an expansion in production areas. This expansion has led to palay harvested areas increasing to over 2.12 million hectares, surpassing the 2.065 million hectares recorded in the same period in 2024, as per the latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). The DA has also expressed optimism that the Philippines might even surpass the 20.46 million MT target, potentially achieving another record-breaking volume.
The DA-Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Operations Center highlighted that average annual palay production losses due to weather disturbances typically range from 500,000 MT to 600,000 MT.
In response to the impact of the recent weather events, the DA-DRRM has assured increased aid to affected farmers and fishers, raising the intervention budget to over PHP1.53 billion from the initial PHP1.2 billion. This aid includes PHP653.01 million worth of agricultural and fishery inputs, PHP478 million worth of indemnification for 61,223 insured farmers, and PHP400 million under the Agricultural Credit Policy Council's (ACPC) Survival and Recovery (SURE) loan program. The program offers registered farmers loans of up to PHP25,000, payable over three years.
The DA-DRRM reported additional damage to high-value crops, fisheries, corn, infrastructures, machinery, livestock, and poultry. High-value crops, including vegetables, spices, and fruits, suffered losses valued at PHP604.68 million. Fisheries and aquatic resources damages amounted to PHP516.57 million, affecting 3,185 fishers. The damage to corn was PHP112.20 million, while losses in infrastructures, machinery, and equipment were PHP43.79 million. Livestock and poultry losses amounted to PHP25.29 million, impacting 36,021 heads of various animals, and cassava damage was valued at PHP5.24 million.
