The government allocated an initial P500 million to rehabilitate agriculture and fishery areas damaged by typhoon Nina, the Agriculture Department said.
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said P300 million of the rehabilitation fund would come from the Office of the President and P200 million from the department.
Piñol said P55 million of the fund would be used for the immediate rehabilitation of the abaca industry in Catanduanes.
The amount will also be used for the release of rice seeds and fertilizers for about 5,000 hectares of rice farms and repair of fisheries infrastructure damaged by the typhoon.
The partial submission of Niña’s damage on agriculture and fisheries in the Bicol region alone showed P4 billion worth of damage.
Piñol said typhoon Nina damaged 85 percent of the standing abaca plant in Catanduanes province, which has 33,000 hectares planted to abaca and is considered the biggest single producer of the natural fiber in the world.
