FAO/GIEWS - Foodcrops & Shortages 09/01 - PHILIPPINES (3 September)

Tens of thousands of villagers have returned to their homes following the cessation of volcanic activity which started in late June and forced them to flee.

In early July, typhoon “Feira”(Utor) killed 121 people, injured some 130 and left 44 missing. The typhoon displaced close to 900 000 people and caused serious damage to housing and infrastructure. Some 175 000 families were affected and vast agricultural areas planted to rice and maize were flooded. One of the worst affected areas was Baguio City, where the central business district and residential areas were in knee-to-waist deep water levels. Other seriously affected areas were the Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon and Metro Manila. Widespread and indiscriminate logging and inadequate drainage system reportedly contribute to flooding. A detailed assessment of damage to crops and livestock is not yet available.

By mid-August, torrential rains and floods submerged dozens of villages particularly in the Negros Occidental province and the island of Mindanao, the country’s largest maize producing area. A number of casualties is reported. More than 60 000 people had to flee their homes for emergency shelter. Serious damage to crops, housing and infrastructure is reported.

Planting of this year’s main rice and maize crops was completed in July for harvesting from November. Despite flood damage, early production forecasts point to an above-average paddy output of some 12.5 million tonnes (8.2 million tonnes in milled rice equivalent) and a slightly below-average maize output of about 4.1 million tonnes.