DA says crop damage from ”Vicky” reaches P10.5 million

December 21, 2020

The Department of Agriculture (DAR) said  Monday crop damage from Tropical Depression ''Vicky'' reached P10.5 million.

Agriculture Secretary William Dar said this does not include possible damage to agriculture in Cagayan where some areas were again hit by flooding caused by ''Vicky''.

"As of last night there is a report of 10.5 million pesos damage to agricultura, and we also monitored flooding in Cagayan Valley," he said in a public briefing on Monday.

"There is no report yet about the damages but we know that the there is widespread flooding in Tuguegarao and Enrile, Cagayan area, so by the end of today maybe were able to provide data as the result of 'Vicky'," he added.

Dar assures that the country has enough supply of rice and other commodities.

"Almost all of our farmers were able to harvest before 'Vicky' arrived. We want to say that we have enough rice. In our inventory, we still have rice stock that are good for three months, so we should not be worried about rice supply," he said.

"The price for other commodities increased like pork. We (have) transported supplies from Visayas and Mindanao. We have supply but the price of pork is a bit higher," Dar said.

"On fruits and vegetables, they were affected by the last four typhoons so they are recovering and the supply of fruits and vegetables are now increasing so we all know that during this Christmas season, the demand for different agricultural commodities also increase," he added.  Robina Asido/DMS