THE estimated overall damage from typhoons Tino and Uwan surged to over P4 billion, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said Tuesday.
In a statement, the DA said its latest estimates showed the storms caused farm damage worth P4.13 billion and wiped out around 19.2 million metric tons (MMT) of production across 43,882 hectares.
This affected crops, coconut farms, livestock and poultry, fisheries, agricultural infrastructure, and machinery.
As such, the DA said over 65,000 farmers across 14 regions are set to receive indemnification checks worth P571 million from the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC) as compensation for farm damage brought by typhoons Tino and Uwan.
PCIC President Jovy Bernabe said that about 65,176 insured farmers from 14 regions were affected by the two typhoons as of November 11. Most of the farmers cultivate rice, corn, and high-value crops.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said this forms part of the government’s assistance package to help producers recover swiftly.
He added that wider crop insurance coverage is becoming increasingly critical as climate change intensifies the frequency and severity of extreme weather events.
‘Hopefully, more of our agricultural stakeholders can be covered by the PCIC so the sector can better cope with disasters,’ Tiu Laurel said.
The DA said initial assessments indicate losses of around P147.3 million for rice, P55.6 million for corn, and P224.3 million for high-value crops.
Bicol region recorded the highest number of claimants at 10,958, with potential payouts estimated at P119.4 million, according to the agency.
Bernabe noted that regional PCIC teams would extend assistance on the field and expedite claims processing to prevent cash-flow disruptions for affected farmers.
‘We have issued strict instructions to our regional staff to continue assisting farmers and speed up the processing of their damage claims,’ he said.