Bacolod City – Monsoon rains, also known as Habagat, destroyed P296,150,706.64 worth of crops and fisheries in Negros Occidental, as of yesterday September 29.
In a report, the Office of the Provincial Agriculture reported that rice crops were the hardest hit, with the value of the damage pegged at P275,980,407.39, fisheries followed at P11,158, 372, high value crops at P5,901,125, and P3,110, 802.25 in corn was damaged.
The OPA reports also indicated that 7,086 rice farmers in 194 barangays of 26 local government units were affected by the inclement weather which was enhanced by tropical storms Ferdie and Gener.
In terms of area, damaged were 6,148.74 hectares of rice lands, and 79.18 hectares of rice and high value crops, aside from 481.74 hectares of fishery areas.
The state weather bureau reported on Friday that the low pressure area (LPA) east of Batanes has developed into a tropical depression and was named Julian.
Julian has maximum sustained winds of 55 kph near the center, and gustiness of up to 70 kph. It was last tracked 525 km east of Itbayat, Batanes.
Tropical cyclone wind signal no. 1 could be hoisted over portions of Cagayan Valley within the day.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) forecasts it to follow a looping path over the waters east of Batanes and Cagayan in the next five days.
PAGASA also expects Julian to intensify throughout the forecast period continuously and may reach the tropical storm category this coming Friday. (Gilbert Bayoran via The Visayan Daily Star with additional report from PNA)