The Philippines is bracing for Typhoon Yinxing, locally known as Marce, marking the fourth storm to hit the nation in just over a month, Bloomberg reports.
The impending weather event threatens to exacerbate significant agricultural losses, which have already amounted to at least 11.5 billion pesos ($197 million) this year.
According to the national weather bureau, Typhoon Yinxing is expected to unleash over 200 millimeters (eight inches) of rain on Cagayan province starting Thursday. This region is still saturated from recent storms, underscoring the potential for further damage.
The main island of Luzon is still recovering from Severe Tropical Storm Trami, which struck last month, causing over 100 fatalities and inflicting 6.2 billion pesos worth of damage to the agriculture sector—the highest since Typhoon Goni in 2020. Previous storms, Krathon and Kong-Rey, also contributed to heavy rainfall across northern parts of the country as they passed offshore before hitting Taiwan.
Rice crops bore a significant burden during Trami, with losses exceeding 4 billion pesos. Such widespread crop destruction could contribute to rising food inflation and necessitate increased imports. In October, the nation’s inflation rate rose by 2.3% year-on-year, mainly due to accelerated price increases in rice.
The agriculture department has warned that nearly 1.1 million hectares of rice and corn crops are at risk from Typhoon Yinxing. As of the latest reports, Yinxing is positioned approximately 590 kilometers (367 miles) east of Baler, with maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometers per hour. The typhoon is predicted to make landfall on Thursday evening near the sparsely populated Babuyan Islands or graze the northern part of Cagayan on Luzon.
In addition to the impact on crop farming, the series of storms has also affected other agricultural sectors, including irrigation, machinery, and fisheries, heightening the overall economic challenge for the nation.
