ILOILO City – Losses to Western Visayas’ rice crops due to super typhoon “Odette” reached P820 million, data from the Department of Agriculture (DA) Region 6 showed.
A total of 28,748.36 hectares of rice land across the region were damaged – some totally, others partially, according to Engineer Jimmy Eledia Jr., DA-6 agriculturist II and focal person for disaster.
Eledia said most of the damaged rice crops were supposed to be harvestable already.
Damage assessment, however, is still ongoing so the figures could still change.
Negros Occidental sustained the biggest damage to rice crops at P696,449,480.60.
Towns and cities with rice crop losses in the island were Valladolid, San Enrique, Victorias City, Bago City, Pontevedra, Kabankalan City, La Carlota City, Cadiz City, Ilog, EB Magalona, Himamaylan City, Isabela, Escalante, Hinoba-an, Cauayan, Sipalay City, Manapla, Candoni, Pulupundan, Binalbagan, Murcia, Silay City, Moises Padilla, Calatrava, San Carlos City, Don Salvador Benedicto, and Sagay City.
The next province with highest losses was Iloilo with P99,448,568.87. Areas affected were Zarraga, Santa Barbara, Estancia, Lemery, Batad, Dingle, Anilao, San Enrique, and Banate.
The province of Antique came in third with P16,105,788.96 in rice crop damage from the towns of Barbaza, San Remigio, Valderrama, Tibiao, Belison, Sebaste, Patnongon, San Jose, Culasi, Sibalom, Pandan, and Laua-an.
The provinces of Capiz and Aklan had the lowest losses at P6,034,080 and P2,313,010, respectively.
In Capiz, the town Sigma reported damage to rice crops while in Aklan, it was Altavas town.
The province of Guimaras which was also hit hard like Negros Occidental has yet to submit a report to DA-6 on losses to its agriculture sector. It declared a state of calamity on Sunday.
According to Eledia, the regional office was still validating other reports especially on the damage or losses to livestock, vegetables and high-value crops./PN
