Powerful typhoon may wipe out P13.2B worth of rice, corn crops
Typhoon Mangkhut, which will be named Ompong once it enters the Philippine Area of Responsibility, may wipe out rice and corn crops worth P13.2 billion if it maintains its strength and slams into rice producing regions in Northern Luzon, the Department of Agriculture (DA) warned Tuesday.
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said rice and corn that are ready for harvest may be affected if the powerful typhoon continues on its course and hits Northern Luzon.
Mangkhut, which is packing maximum sustained winds of up to 160 kilometers per hour (kph) with gusts of up to 195 kph, was forecast to enter the country on Wednesday. It may make landfall in Cagayan or Batanes, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).
Piñol said the DA’s Field Operations Office projected that in a worst case scenario, rice crops worth P7 billion in the Cordillera Region, Ilocos Region, and Cagayan Valley may be lost.
Also, 483,000 hectares of corn valued at P6.2 billion may be destroyed by the typhoon.
The DA Field Offices in the said regions have been advised to activate their disaster monitoring offices and operate on a 24-hour basis to monitor the effect of the typhoon, said Piñol.
They were also directed to prepare food supplies to be distributed to farmers who may be affected.
EIREENE JAIREE GOMEZ
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