MANILA, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines has incurred huge losses in the agriculture sector amounting to almost 3 billion pesos (61.86 million U.S. dollars) due to typhoon Sarika, locally named as Karen, a senior government official said Tuesday.
Latest report from the field showed that the total production loss in agriculture due to Sarika was already estimated to reach 2.972 billion pesos, according to Christopher V. Morales, an official in the Agriculture Department.
"A total of 260,002 hectares of agricultural areas, with an estimated production loss of 215,716 metric tons and a total of 86,261 farmers were affected in CAR (Cordillera Administrative Region) and Regions I, III, IV-A and V," Morales said in a memorandum to Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Pinol.
The products affected were rice, corn and vegetables including livestock.
Sarika left the Philippines Monday morning after it made a landfall in the northern province of Aurora.
The Department of Agriculture is now monitoring typhoon Haima, locally named as Lawin, which is expected to make a landfall over northern province of Cagayan by early Thursday morning.
