Typhoon Odette causes P8B damage to PH agriculture

As of Tuesday, December 28, the total damage caused by Typhoon Odette to Philippine agriculture has reached P8 billion and is expected to increase.

The typhoon affected over 113,479 farmers and fishers across 11 regions in Visayas and Mindanao.

Agricultural losses include 171,222 metric tons of production from 341,280 hectares of agricultural land.

According to Agriculture Secretary William Dar, the damage includes P6 billion in agriculture with over 105,000 metric tons of volume loss and more than 70,000 hectares affected.

The most impacted sectors are fisheries (P1.8 billion), rice (P1.7 billion), and coconut (P1.5 billion).

The Department of Agriculture has allocated at least P2.9 billion in aid for affected farmers and fishers, including a Quick Response Fund of P1 billion that can be charged to the 2022 budget.