vegetables farming and 8.5 percent did not continue fishing activities. Likewise, about 215.9 hectares of rice and high value crops farm lands were not planted when the ECQ was imposed in the region. Moreover, many farmers and fishers did not continue farming and fishing because they belong to an age group considered as highly vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus and are required to stay at home during the quarantine period. Border closures and the unavailability of public transportation have also limited the access of farmers to production inputs. Although transport of agricultural supplies is allowed, the stringent requirements imposed by local government units make travel difficult for workers crossing the borders. In some cases, drivers and assistants were asked to undergo quarantine whenever they go back to their homes once they visited an area with known COVID-19 positive cases. Likewise, this resulted to higher cost of production and marketing. Users of agricultural products discontinued their orders because public markets, where most agricultural products are sold, are closed. The demand for agriculture products also declined because bulk buyers like hotels and restaurants were closed. These factors resulted to glut in agriculture products. The problem was compounded with lack of agricultural extension workers to assist farmers and growers and the difficulty in accessing capital for production and operating costs. Figure 10. Direct Losses from Unsold Agricultural Produce, By Region, in PhP
Source: IATF TWG for Anticipatory and Forward Planning
Farmers and fisherfolks suffer loss of income due to ECQ. Due to failure to sell their produce, many farmers and fishers suffered loss of income. Based on the business rapid assessment survey for agriculture and fisheries sector conducted by the TWG on Anticipatory and Forward Western Visayas COVID-19 Regional Recovery Plan Assessment of the Effect of COVID-19 in Region VI 18
