Almost one billion metric tons of ‘palay’ lost to storms

THE extent of the damage by typhoons Pedring and Quiel to agriculture may have already exceeded the losses from two typhoons two years ago, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Wednesday.

DA Undersecretary Antonio Fleta, during a telephone interview, said that losses to palay crops from the two typhoons that recently hit the northern part of Luzon have reached 760,207 metric tons —representing 11.7 percent of the total 6.5 million MT expected rice harvest for the fourth quarter of 2011.

“The extent of the damage may be bigger than that (caused) by Typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng, which hit us two years ago,” Fleta added.

“We’re now in the middle of the cropping season, that’s why the losses may be bigger, unlike two years ago when we were able to harvest majority of the crops before the typhoons hit and salvage most of the damaged palay,” he said.

In 2009, the Philippines lost about 18 percent of its fourth-quarter target of 6.48 million MT from Ondoy and Pepeng.

As of October 5, the amount of damage brought by Pedring and Quiel to the country’s agricultural sector had reached P11.7 billion, with Region 3 (Central Luzon) registering the biggest loss.

Of the amount, P11 billion was attributed to palay crops, P500 million to corn and P200 million to high-value crops.

Central Luzon suffered the major hit with more than 600,000 MT of palay crops lost to floods.

According to Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala, the DA will implement an initial set of interventions to help farm families recover from crop damage from the typhoons.

In a memorandum to President Benigno Aquino 3rd, Alcala said that the department, through the National Food Authority (NFA), will buy storm-damaged palay to provide farmers enough money for their subsistence.

The DA will also assist the framers in replanting as soon as possible by providing them free certified seeds from the department’s seed buffer stock.

Also, it will implement a “Quick-Turn-Around” palay production program to recover the losses from the typhoons.

Alcala said that they are linking up with agribusiness enterprises, particularly fertilizer and seed companies, to encourage them to adopt a plant-now, pay-later scheme, coupled with a rice marketing tie-up with the NFA.

The Agriculture department will also implement a credit program through cooperative rural banks in typhoon-affected provinces to provide farmers crop production loans.

Through the Agricultural Credit and Policy Council, it has initially allotted P400 million for the credit program.

Despite the damage, Alcala said in his memorandum to President Aquino that there is no need to import additional rice for 2011.

He added that the DA has created an inter-agency task force to assess and validate the actual damage, particularly on palay, corn and high-value crops.

Survey needed

Alcala said that this effort will complement the ongoing October 2011 palay production survey, which is conducted every quarter by the DA’s Bureau of Agricultural Statistics.

The survey results will include the final estimate of the 3rd quarter palay production, the projected 4th quarter palay production (based on standing crop) and projected 2012 1st quarter production based on farmers’ planting intentions.

Not only was Central Luzon’s agricultural sector the hardest hit by Pedring and Quiel, its educational sector also took the most severe beating from the two typhoons.

The biggest loss in school buildings, textbooks, instructional materials and furniture from Pedring and Quiel was suffered by most provinces of Central Luzon, the Department of Education (DepEd) reported also on Wednesday.

The department placed at P222.46 million the damage to infrastructure and teaching aids caused by the twin howlers.

Reports received by DepEd’s Disaster Risk Management Office showed that of the 315 schools damaged by the two typhoons in Central Luzon, 222 or 76 percent were located in the provinces of Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga and Tarlac.

Aurora, Bataan and Zambales also compose Region 3.

The reports said that 115 schools were still being utilized as evacuation centers for some 4, 985 families.

Classes remained suspended in Hagonoy and Calumpit towns and Malolos City in Bulacan; Apalit, Macabebe, Masantol, Mexico, San Simon, Sasmoan, San Luis and Santa Ana towns in Pampanga; Cabanatuan City and Cabiao, Jaen, San Antonio, Santa Rosa and Santo Domingo towns in Nueva Ecija; and Camiling, La Paz and San Roque towns in Tarlac.

Meanwhile, the Education department said that classes also remained suspended in some parts of Malabon City, Navotas City and Valenzuela City, all in Metro Manila.

During a press conference that also marked World Teacher’s Day in Pasig City (also in Metro Manila), Education Secretary Armin Luistro said that they will release the department’s Quick Reaction Fund of P120 million for repair and rehabilitation of the damaged school buildings.

Luistro also announced that schools affected by Pedring and Quiel would have to hold make-up classes so as not to compromise the required 202 school days under the calendar.

The 9, 995-strong Federation of Association of Private Schools and Administrators (Fapsa) said that holding the make-up classes on weekends would be impractical and it would be better to just move the school calendar from June to September.

“It is not advisable to hold Saturday classes to make up for the lost schooldays because during this time only 60 percent of the students come to class,“ Fapsa President Eleazardo Kasilag said. –JAMES KONSTANTIN GALVEZ REPORTER wITH REPORT FROM SAMMY MARTIN, Manila Times