Crop damage due to Taal’s eruption was estimated at P3.17 billion a week after the volcano started emitting ash, with the fisheries sector accounting for more than half of the total, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said. In a bulletin issued Saturday night, the DA noted that the ashfall damaged 43,772 metric tons (MT) of agricultural commodities, over 15,790 hectares of land in CALABARZON, which is composed of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon. Fisheries accounted for 50.5% or P1.6 billion equivalent to 6,000 fish cages. Affected municipalities include Talisay, Laurel, Agoncillo, and San Nicolas, Batangas.

Galang, V. M. P. (2020, January 20). Taal Volcano agricultural damage exceeds P3 billion, led by fisheries. BusinessWorld, p. S1/2.