The regional office of the Department of Agriculture (DA) reported that Cagayan farmers are on track in growing paddy rice output by 23 percent to 2.15 million metric tons (MMT) and corn output by 27 percent to 1.6 MMT.

Lucrecio Alviar Jr., director of the Cagayan Valley DA, reported that typhoons Juaning, Mina, Pedring and Quiel damaged a total of 146,870 metric tons (MT) of palay in Cagayan Valley, pulling down 2011 target production of 2.29 MMT by 6.4 percent.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala said despite the heavy losses sustained by farmers in Luzon due to the recent typhoons and floods, these losses “were not enough” to offset the increase in farm output registered in January to September.

Cagayan Valley ranks third behind Central Luzon and Western Visayas as the country’s top palay producers.

In 2010, due to the prolonged drought caused by the El Niño weather phenomenon, Cagayan harvested only a total of 1.74 MMT of palay, compared with Central Luzon’s output of 2.958 MMT and Western Visayas’s 1.79 MMT.

Earlier, the DA reported that typhoons Pedring and Quiel alone damaged P11.7 billion worth of various farm products.

The bulk of the losses was recorded in the palay subsector which sustained 760,000 MT of damage worth P11 billion.

Alcala said the DA has alloted P446 million to enable farmers and fishers in Cagayan Valley and Central Luzon to replant or restock immediately and recoup their losses.

Farmers whose palay and corn crops were totally damaged will receive free certified seeds of the open-pollinated corn variety worth P1,200 per hectare, and P600 worth of seeds for partially damaged areas.

The DA is also encouraging farmers to participate in a quick turn-around program and ratooning starting November to produce more palay during the first quarter of 2012.

(Jennifer A. Ng)