The ongoing onslaught of Typhoon Tino over the Visayas and parts of Mindanao would not disrupt the country’s rice supply, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said Wednesday.
However,Tiu Laurel warned that “corn production may suffer significant losses.”
“We’re not too worried about rice since the harvest is almost complete in major producing provinces and most of the affected regions are not major producing areas,” the Agriculture chief said.
“But we may have an issue with corn because about 33,000 hectares of cornfields were affected by Tino,” he said.
The DA head said he has ordered all regional field offices to conduct rapid damage assessments and prepare for a potentially stronger typhoon that could hit Northern Luzon over the weekend.
To support recovery efforts, the Department of Agriculture (DA) will distribute P255 million worth of farm inputs —including rice, corn, and vegetable seeds, fingerlings, and biologics— to affected farmers and fisherfolk.
Fishers affected by Tino may also be provided assistance to repair fishing gear and boats as well as fuel assistance, he said.
Tiu Laurel also ordered the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC) to expedite the processing of claims for those affected by the storm.
Meanwhile, the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC) is ready to provide loans of up to P25,000 under the Survival and Recovery (SURE) Loan Program to help producers rebuild quickly.
To ensure food availability, the National Food Authority (NFA) has prepared 2.6 million bags of rice for distribution to local government units and relief agencies.
Additional rice will be sold through Kadiwa ng Pangulo outlets offering P20-per-kilo rice and other affordable goods.
“We have enough rice stocks at the NFA to cover our needs,” Tiu Laurel said.
The DA’s regional field offices have also undertaken positioning of seeds for rice, corn and high value crops, drugs and biologics for livestock and poultry, fish stocks and paraphernalia on fisheries; close coordination with regional disaster risk reduction and management, local government units, and other concerned agencies on the impact of Tino.
The DA also conducted monitoring of prices and movement of agricultural commodities and allocated of funds for insurance and credit by the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) and Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC), respectively. —RF, GMA Integrated News
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