Typhoon damage to agriculture hits $53.3 M

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The agriculture sector incurred losses amounting to P2.32 billion ($53.3 million) following the onslaught of typhoon Rammasun (local name: Glenda), the Department of Agriculture (DA) said today.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said farmers and fishermen in 15 provinces in central and northern Philippines were heavily affected by the typhoon.

Alcala said the fisheries subsector suffered the biggest loss, with damages estimated at $810 million ($18.58 million).

Typhoon Rammasun also destroyed P512.7 million ($11.76 million) worth of rice planted in 43,536 hectares and P391.65 million ($8.98 million) worth of corn planted in 22,627 hectares. Rice and corn are the country's two major crops.

Other cash crops worth P481.15 million ($11.03 million) were also destroyed by strong winds and heavy rains.

The DA's preliminary assessment showed that coconut trees planted in 4,000 hectares may have been damaged by the typhoon.

Typhoon Rammasun, which made landfall in Albay province on Tuesday night, packed maximum sustained winds of 140 kilometers per hour (kph) and gustiness of up to 170 kph. The typhoon affected top rice-producing areas in the country such as the provinces of Pampanga and Bulacan.