The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Monday said it has lined up PHP106.5 million worth of agricultural aid for farm inputs following the combined effects of tropical cyclones Luis and Maymay, and the enhanced southwest monsoon or “habagat”.

This comes after the DA-Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Operations Center logged PHP135.3 million worth of agricultural damage in Ilocos Region, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa and Western Visayas.

In a statement, DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. ordered swift intervention to ensure timely recovery for Filipino food producers.

“The faster we process these, the faster farmers can recover and get back to production,” he said.

Besides the immediate distribution of farm inputs for rice, corn and vegetable seeds, Tiu Laurel also assured availability of zero-interest loans and indemnification programs under the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC) and the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC).

“We need our people on the ground to move quickly so affected farmers can get the assistance they need, especially insurance claims and credit support,” Tiu Laurel said.

Under the ACPC’s Survival and Recovery (SURE) loan, farmers can borrow up to PHP25,000 payable for three years with no interest.

Insured farmers will also receive indemnification through the PCIC.

Based on the DA-DRRM’s Bulletin No. 3, at least 6,010 farmers were affected in five regions, with the volume loss equivalent to 4,465 metric tons (MT), as of Monday, 8 a.m.

The majority of the reported damage was in rice production, pegged at PHP102.01 million; followed by damage in irrigation facilities at PHP16.1 million; high-value crops at PHP11.92 million; corn at PHP4.05 million; farm structures at PHP1.2 million; and livestock at PHP43,600 for 38 heads of goats and ducks. (PNA)