Super Typhoon Uwan (Fung-wong) crushed Bicol’s coconut belt, inflicting the region’s worst agricultural losses as thousands of smallholder farmers now face a long and costly recovery, the Department of Agriculture in Bicol (DA-5) said Wednesday, November 19.
DA Bicol placed the region’s farm losses at P3.70 billion, with coconut—Bicol’s backbone crop—absorbing the heaviest blow.
The typhoon damaged 128,761 hectares of coconut plantations owned by 125,679 farmers, and flattened 3,398 hectares outright, resulting in P1.18 billion in losses.
Abaca ranked second in devastation. Uwan hit 54,205 hectares tended by 23,807 abacaleros, causing P1.03 billion in damage.
Camarines Sur recorded the most agricultural destruction at P1.5 billion, followed by Catanduanes with P1 billion, reflecting the storm’s direct strike on provinces that rely heavily on coconut and abaca.
To shore up affected farmers, the DA mobilized P1.2 billion in interventions, including seeds, fertilizers, vegetable seeds, garden tools, and hauling trucks.
The agency also opened P25 million under the SURE Loan Program, allowing each farmer to access up to P25,000.
The Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation set aside P7.1 million for indemnification, while the National Food Authority began selling P20 rice worth P19.5 million through accredited provincial offices and farmers’ cooperatives across Bicol.*
Reymund Titong is a Filipino journalist steadily building his voice in the field of news reporting, driven by a commitment to tell meaningful and relevant stories.
He serves as a correspondent for Rappler, maintains a personal blog on Medium, and is the communications officer of Hope Builders Organization Negros Island.