DA On Alert in Northern Luzon

TYPHOON OMPONG THREATENS

READY TO HARVEST RICE, CORN

By Manny Piñol

An estimated 1.2-million hectares of farms planted to rice and corn which are about to be harvested may be affected if Typhoon Ompong (International Name: Mangkhut) continues on its course and slams into Northern Luzon by Thursday or Friday.

The Field Operations Office of the Department of Agriculture projected that in a worst case scenario rice crops some of which are ready for harvest in the Cordillera Region, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley could suffer up to P7-B in damages.

In a worst case scenario, an estimated 893,000 hectares of rice farms in the four regions will be affected by Typhoon Ompong.

A moderate projection shows rice crop losses amounting to P3.3-B.

Also in a worst case scenario, an estimated 483,000 hectares of corn fields could be affected with a projected crop loss amounting to P6.2-B.

The moderate scenario shows an estimated corn damage amounting to P4.2-B.

The DA Field Offices in the four regions have been advised to activate their disaster monitoring offices and operate on a 24-hour basis to monitor the effect of the typhoon.

The regional offices were also directed to prepare food supplies to be distributed to affected farmers in the aftermath of the typhoon.

The Pagasa yesterday reported that Typhoon Ompong (Mangkhut) was spotted 2,255 kilometers east of Southern Luzon.

Typhoon Ompong, reportedly the most powerful typhoon to hit Northern Luzon in recent years, packs maximum sustained winds of up to 150 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 185 kph. It was moving westward at 35 kph.

It would like make landfall over Cagayan-Batanes area, according to Pagasa.

“Heavy rains directly associated with (typhoon) Mangkhut (internationan name) are possible by Friday, 14 September 2018, over Cagayan, Isabela, Apayao, Kalinga, Abra, Ilocos Norte, Batanes, and Babuyan Group of Islands,” the National Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Center (NDRRMC) reported.

The threat by Typhoon Ompong on Philippine Agriculture shows the vulnerability of the agriculture and fisheries sectors to adverse climatic conditions and climate change.

At this point, all that we in the DA and the farmers could do is to pray and prepare for the worst.

(Images of Typhoon Ompong downloaded from Pagasa website while screenshots of the projected damage and losses to rice and corn were prepared by the Field Operations Office of the DA.)