Manila, May 16 -- Although Typhoon "Ambo" did not directly hit most of the Bicol provinces as initially forecast, it destroyed crops and livestock initially estimated at PHP79.9 million, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Saturday.
The DA Bicol said the approximate affected area in the six provinces was 3,885 hectares with production loss totaling 4,564 metric tons (MT).
Corn recorded the highest losses of 3,365 MT from 2,616 hectares damaged farms with production loss pegged at PHP52 million.
On the other hand, rice recorded an initial production loss of 1,149 MT from 1,067 hectares partially damaged rice areas with production loss recorded at PHP17.5 million.
For high-value crops such as fruits and vegetables, some 201 hectare...