The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) estimated that the cost of damage to agriculture brought by Typhoon Karding has reached more than P3 billion as the Department of Agriculture reported that retail prices of various vegetables have increased by as much as P20 in Metro Manila due to the devastation.
The NDRRMC said damage to livestock, poultry, and fisheries was estimated at P14.14 million.
The agency added that 104,500.90 farmers and fisherfolk and 166,630.11 hectares of crops were affected by the typhoon
The death toll remained at 12, with the number of missing at five, and injuries at 52, the NDRRMC said.
It further said that 247,016 families or 913,893 individuals were affected by the typhoon in seven regions, and 47,388 persons were displaced.
Displaced families have sought shelter in evacuation centers in various areas.
In terms of infrastructure, the NDRRMA said 57,080 houses and 43 roads, schools, utility services facilities, etc. were also damaged.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development, local government units, and nongovernment organizations have released P51,463,930.95 worth of assistance, the agency said.
In terms of price increases, Agriculture Undersecretary Kristine Evangelista said the DA has seen increases in the prices of some vegetables in Metro Manila markets. The official said in the NCR, the price movement is around P10 to P20.
Based on in its price monitoring, the DA said as of September 29, the price of Baguio beans increased to P120 per kilo from P100 per kilo the previous day; carrots went up to P150 per kilo from P140 per kilo; while eggplants rose to P100 per kilo from P85 per kilo.
High-value crops—fruits, vegetables, legumes, and spices—are the second most damaged crop group following Karding’s onslaught, with a total value loss of P754.8 million and crops destroyed at 18,536 metric tons across 2,964 hectares of farmlands, the DA said.
Evangelista said the DA will be on the lookout for profiteering or individuals or groups who might take advantage of the devastation to jack up prices.
Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda, chair of the House ways and means committee, meanwhile said he is appealing to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who sits as Secretary of Agriculture, to prioritize integrated pest management as a flagship program of the Department of Agriculture, calling it “one of the more successful agriculture programs in the country.”
Salceda made the statement amid reports of fresh onion shortages in fastfood chains and the continuing infestation of armyworms in onion farms in Northern Luzon.
