Residents hold on a rope while crossing flood waters brought by typhoon Koppu (Source: euters.com)
Typhoon Koppu has caused damage of at least 5.9 billion PHP (128.01 million USD) to the Philippine agriculture sector.
Undersecretary of the Department of Agriculture Emerson Palad said the typhoon damaged about 277,060 hectares of agricultural land in the northern regions of Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon and Cordillera.
Production loss was estimated at 386,000 tonnes, including 360,000 tonnes of worth 5.3 billion PHP. Meanwhile, corn and high valued crops had production losses of 5,600 tonnes and 21,800 tonnes, respectively.
Death tolls from typhoon Koppu climbed to 22 on October 20.
The tropical storm forced thousands of locals into emergency shelters and destroying rice fields ready for harvest in the northern Philippines.
The typhoon weakened into a tropical storm and moved into the East Sea on October 20 morning, but caused downpours and flooding in the capital of Manila’s surrounding areas.
According to local authority, more than 200 villages in farming regions were submerged with some areas more than 1.5m under water.
Typhoon Koppu was the 12th storm to hit the Philippines this year, the country endures about 20 major storms a year. The most powerful storm ever recorded on land, Super Typhoon Haiyan, hit the Philippines in 2013, leaving at least 7,350 people dead and missing.-VNA
