By Madelaine B. Miraflor In the wake of recent twin calamities that raked in more than a billion  losses in the agriculture sector, the Department of Agriculture (DA) is now mulling over a plan to build a food depository in all the calamity prone areas in the country. Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said there should be a "virtual food depository" that is spread out in several areas in the country.  "Before the typhoon hits a place, the food depository should already be in placed," Piñol said in an interview. One of the challenges that the government always face is how to send aids to areas severely hit by a typhoon as bridges and roads are not normally passable at that particular time. According to Piñol, President Rodrigo Duterte already gave a marching order to National Food Authority and Department of Social Welfare and Development to prepare a food depo in all vulnerable areas in the country. Just as the agriculture sector is preparing to cap 2017 with supposedly lesser impact from this year's typhoons, the twin calamities that hit portions of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao in the past week suddenly brought in more than a billion worth of last-minute damages and losses to one of the most vulnerable industries in the country. Data from DA showed that combined damages and losses to the agriculture sector brought by Tropical Depression Urduja and Typhoon Vinta already amounted to R1.24 billion, affecting a total of R58.876 hectares of agriculture areas in Regions 4-A, 5, 7, 8,9, 11, 12, and 13 with an estimated volume of production loss at 28,737 metric tons. The affected commodities are rice, corn, high value crops, cassava, livestock, poultry, and various agri-infrastructure and fisheries facilities.  (MBM) The damages and losses to the agriculture sector caused by Tropical Depression Urduja reached P1 billion, affecting a total of 39,636 hectares of agriculture areas in Region 4-A, 5, 7, 8, and 13 with an estimated volume of production loss at 23,934 metric tons. DA-Field Programs Operational Planning Division chief Christopher Morales said the increase in the values are attributed to the increased damage and losses reported in Region 8. The affected commodities are rice, corn, high value crops, livestock, poultry, and agri-infrastructure and fishery facilities. As for Typhoon Vinta, the DA said that as of Thursday, the damages and losses so far amounted to P234.91 million, affecting a total of 29,240 hectares of agricultural areas in Region 9, 11, and 12 with an estimated volume production loss of 4,803 metric tons. According to DA, the mostly affected commodities are rice and corn.