On top of short-gestation seeds, the Department of Agriculture (DA) is also looking at other production inputs like fertilizers that it will give for free to thousands of farmers devastated by tropical storm “Ondoy” and typhoon “Pepeng” to help them get back on their feet at once and plant anew this quarter.

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said the DA is now considering a much bigger package of assistance for typhoon-devastated farmers in Luzon that will include, among others, seed and fertilizer support, in the hope that they can catch up and plant again this season.

“The scope of this planned rehabilitation package and the number of target beneficiaries will depend on the final assessment reports that the DA will get from its agency heads and field offices,” Yap said.

“Right now, we are waiting for the floods to subside so we can really determine which fields have standing crops that were completely destroyed by the two typhoons and which have crops that could still be harvested and recovered with the help of drying facilities,” he said.

Agriculture Undersecretary and Chief of Staff Bernie Fondevilla said the DA will undertake market intervention programs through the National Food Authority, Philippine International Trading Corporation (PITC) and Food Terminal Inc. (FTI), involving five commodities: Pork, chicken, vegetables, tilapia, and bangus.

“Morever, the DA has committed patrol boats of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to the Coast Guard and the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) as part of the Department’s contributions to the ongoing massive government efforts to help Ondoy victims in Metro Manila and other parts of Luzon,” Fondevilla said.

As part of the DA’s relief package for “Ondoy” victims, the DA is distributing short-gestation seeds to thousands of palay farmers affected by the storm.

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said earlier this week that the farmer-beneficiaries will be using the direct or broadcast method of planting these seeds and are expected to harvest their crops by December.

At the same time, Yap directed the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC) to work double time in settling claims made by farmers, which could reach a total of P95 million in four regions in Luzon devastated by “Ondoy.”

In a report to Yap, PCIC executive director Jovy Bernabe said projected crop insurance indemnities due to typhoon “Ondoy” could reach P95 million, broken down as follows: Ilocos Region, P6 million; Cagayan Valley, P5 million; Central Luzon, P40 million; Calabarzon and Mimaropa, P28 million, and Bicol, P16 million.

The initial DA initiatives for “Ondoy” victims include a P100-million emergency loan (in kind) for market vendors in still-flooded markets in Metro Manila.

Once these markets reopen, the DA will loan out commodities such as pork, chicken and fish to the vendors to help them recover and at the same time restore the easy access to these goods of consumers in the flood-hit communities.

Yap had also directed the NFA to turn four of its warehouses into relief centers that will help the National Disaster Coordinating Council and Department of Social Welfare and Development accept donations for delivery to typhoon victims in government evacuation centers.

These NFA relief centers are the Uniden Warehouse at the Food Terminal Inc. (FTI) Compound in Taguig City, the NFA Visayas Warehouse at Visayas Avenue in Quezon City, NFA Kingswood Warehouse at 22 Quirino Avenue Baesa, Quezon City and the NFA Antipolo Warehouse at Manuel L. Quezon Avenue Ext., Antipolo City.

Field reports gathered by the Department of Agriculture’s Central Action Center (DACAC) showed that, as of October 7 damage to the agricultural and fisheries sector due to Ondoy was estimated at P6.8 billion, with the palay subsector bearing the brunt at P5.4 billion, of which over P5 billion comprised lost palay and P81 million in farmers’ investments in their flooded fields.

Submerged fields in seven regions in Luzon totaled 185,763 hectares, of which 35,207 hectares had 313,477 metric tons (MT) of standing crops combined that were completely damaged
by Typhoon Ondoy.

About 3,123 hectares of corn in five regions were inundated, with standing crops totaling 639 hectares completely destroyed by the typhoon. Corn damages
reached P64 million, of which P38 million covered the lost harvests of 2,030 MT and P26 million in farmers’ investments in their fields.