Local farmers pre-harvested P9 billion worth of paddy rice and corn, the country’s two major staples, to avoid losing out the season’s first cropping harvest to the typhoon.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) announced Monday that farmers from Regions CAR, II, III, IV-A, VI, and VII harvest 530,593 metric tons of palay planted to 133,292 hectares just before Typhoon Quinta made landfall.
Likewise, the early harvest of corn crop saved about 109,364 MT of corn with a value of P1.31 billion, harvested from 26,910 hectares of farmlands in Regions II and VI.
The DA said the farmers were quick to respond to an advisory sent by the DA regional field offices to all rice-producing regions recommending an early harvest.
The DA has yet to estimate how planted corn crop and high-value crops were saved from the typhoon.
Based on weather updates, Typhoon "Quinta" is forecast to continue moving generally westward until its landfall over eastern coast of Camarines Sur. It will then, traverse the Southern Luzon area until tomorrow this afternoon (Tuesday) and turn west-northwestward over the West Philippine Sea.
Quinta is estimated to bring moderate to heavy with at times intense rains over Bicol Region, CALABARZON, Aurora, Occidental Mindoro,
Oriental Mindoro, Romblon, Marinduque, Calamian Islands, Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, Samar, Biliran, Aklan, Capiz, and Antique.
The tail-end of a frontal system will likewise bring moderate to heavy with at times intense rains over Cagayan, Isabela, Apayao, and Ilocos Norte.
These two weather systems will also bring light to moderate with at times heavy rains over Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon, Zamboanga
Peninsula, Bangsamoro, Northern Mindanao, Caraga, and the rest of Visayas.
As of Monday, the combined data of CAR, Regions I, II, III, IV-A, IV-B, V, VI, VII, and VIII for the area of standing crops that may be affected by Typhoon Quinta totalled to 1,247,623 hectares for rice and 174,932 hectares for corn.
Apart from farmers, the DA also advised fishermen and those with ponds and fish farms to conduct early capturing of fishstocks. Fishers are advised to secure their bancas onshore or anchor in sheltered areas, and refrain from going to fish at sea if rough sea conditions prevail.
DA RFOs along the track of the tropical cyclone have been advised to pre-position seeds for rice and corn, drugs and biologics for livestock and poultry; activate DA Regional DRRM OpCen; coordinate with the LGUs, Regional DRRM -related offices and other stakeholders; and monitor possible impacts in the agri-fishery sector.
The DA said it will issue another bulletin update as soon as possible.
