TYPHOON 'Fabian' (international name: In-fa) left P615.72 million in damage to crops, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Friday.

In its latest bulletin, the DA said Fabian has affected 24,596 farmers and 30,916 hectares of agricultural lands across the country, with volume of production loss increasing to 9,777 metric tons (MT).

Mostly affected were the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Ilocos Region, Central Luzon, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon), Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan), Bicol Region and Western Visayas.

The affected commodities include rice, corn, assorted vegetables and fruits, livestock, fisheries produce and agricultural facilities such as diversion dams and irrigation canals.

The DA assured affected farmers and fishers with the available assistance from the government, including prepositioned rice, corn and assorted vegetable seed reserves from DA RFOs; drugs and biologics for livestock and poultry; Survival and Recovery (SURE) Loan Program of Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC); and indemnification fund from Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) to pay for the losses incurred.