The payments cover losses reported from Aug. 1 to Aug. 26 across eight regions, mostly in Luzon, and will benefit 24,987 farmers. Central Luzon accounted for the largest number of beneficiaries at 9,636, followed by the Ilocos Region with 3,874, the Department of Agriculture said Sept. 6.
PCIC president Jovy Bernabe said rice farmers accounted for the biggest share of insurance claims at P132.9 million. Claims from corn farmers totaled P9.3 million, while those covering high-value crops reached P42.1 million.
“We have issued strict instructions to our regional staff to continue extending their assistance to the affected farmers and speed up the processing of their damage claims,” Bernabe said in a report to Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.
The DA’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Operations Center, in its Sept. 6 report, estimated agricultural damage at P4.13 billion.
The weather disturbances affected 97,589 farmers and fisherfolk with area affected 81,383 hectares, while production losses reached an estimated 100,602 metric tons.
Rice suffered the heaviest damage, with 73,307 hectares affected and production losses of 65,106 metric tons valued at P2.04 billion.
Despite the scale of the losses, the damaged rice accounts for less than one percent of the 20.3 million metric tons of production projected for the year, limiting the likely impact on overall supply.
“Unfortunately, much of the damaged rice was already about to be harvested,” Tiu Laurel said.
The agriculture chief said the damage could add to inflationary pressures, particularly for vegetables and fish, where localized supply disruptions could quickly translate into higher prices.
Rice, however, should be less vulnerable to price pressures because of sufficient supplies from recent domestic harvests and imports, he said. ||
