Cagayan valley: Typhoon Paolo, internationally known as Matmo, has caused significant agricultural damage in Cagayan Valley, with losses exceeding PHP162 million, as reported by the Department of Agriculture-Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DA-DRRM) Operations Center.
According to Philippines News Agency, the DA Regional Field Office in Cagayan Valley outlined the devastation in its Bulletin No. 4, highlighting the impact on 3,890 farmers and encompassing rice, corn, high-value crops, and livestock and poultry.
The total production volume loss across affected agricultural areas, covering 5,181 hectares, amounts to 9,039 metric tons (MT). High-value crops suffered the most, with 1,710 MT of vegetables and bananas lost, translating to PHP85.16 million in damages. Rice production faced a loss of 6,246 MT valued at PHP66.16 million, primarily during the reproductive and maturity stages. The corn sector saw 1,082 MT in losses worth PHP11.18 million, while livestock and poultry lost PHP220,000, affecting 72 heads of cattle. Field validation is currently underway to further assess the damage.
Additional challenges reported by the agency include PHP9.96 million in fisheries losses due to a recent magnitude 6.9 earthquake in Cebu and PHP2.51 billion in damages from the southwest monsoon and tropical cyclones Mirasol, Nando, and Opong, which affected over 85,000 farmers and fishers. The DA has outlined available interventions, including PHP766.42 million worth of agricultural inputs, zero-interest loans of up to PHP25,000 per farmer, and PHP237 million in insurance payouts through the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC). Additional measures include the mobilization of Kadiwa Centers to sell rice under the PHP20 per kilogram program and the distribution of rice stocks from the National Food Authority (NFA).
