Super Typhoon Nando (Ragasa) is a tropical that attained super typhoon status on September 21, 2025, according to reports from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the country’s meteorological agency. Ragasa was the world’s strongest tropical cyclone of 2025. The storm had maximum sustained winds of about 134 miles (215 km) per hour, had peak wind gusts of more than 180 miles (295 km) per hour, and reached a minimum central pressure of approximately 910 hectopascals on September 22, 2025.
The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), upon receipt of reports on the devastation resulting from the onslaught of Super Typhoon Nando (Ragasa) in Cagayan province, has promptly extended nearly ₱1.4 million worth of additional livelihood assistance to disaster-affected agrarian reform beneficiary organizations (ARBOs) in Cagayan under its Climate Resilient FarmProductivity Support (CRFPS) program, aimed at helping ARBs and ARBOs restore operations and strengthen their farm inputs enterprises for more sustainable and climate-resilient livelihoods.
The DAR’s Climate Resilient Farm
Productivity Support (CRFPS) program, through its Sustainable Livelihood
Support (SLS) component, aims to help agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) and
their organizations recover and rebuild after disasters. By providing farm
inputs, tools, and machinery, the program enables ARBOs to restore
productivity, lower production costs, and strengthen resilience against the
impacts of typhoons and floods. The SLS initiative reflects DAR’s commitment to
empowering farmers and revitalizing agrarian communities through sustainable
and climate-adaptive livelihood support.
After the onslaught of Super
Typhoon Nando (Ragasa), thousands of farmers and agrarian reform beneficiaries
(ARBs) across Cagayan province suffered severe damage to their crops and
livelihoods. The powerful typhoon brought strong winds and torrential rains, destroying rice, corn, and vegetable farms. According to the Department of Agriculture (DA), agricultural losses in the Cagayan Valley region totaled approximately ₱ 597 million. In Cagayan alone, over 11,000 hectares of rice lands were
affected, alongside significant losses in corn and high-value crops.
In response, the government
quickly mobilized relief and rehabilitation assistance for affected farmers and
farming communities. The Department of Agriculture, through its regional field
office, distributed rice and corn seeds, assorted vegetable seeds, and
fertilizers to help farmers replant and recover. The DA also rolled out its loan
programs, which offers zero-interest loans to help farmers rebuild their
livelihoods. Insured farmers, including many ARBs, are also being compensated
through the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) for crop losses
incurred during the typhoon.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. led the distribution of financial aid and farm inputs to affected
farmers in the municipalities of Gonzaga and Sta. Ana (including Calayan, being the most affected), where thousands of
families each received ₱10,000 in cash assistance from the Department of SocialWelfare and Development (DSWD). Family food packs, shelter materials, and
relief goods were also delivered to sustain affected households while they
recover from the disaster.
Meanwhile, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) continues
to coordinate with the DA and local governments to ensure that ARBs are
prioritized in rehabilitation efforts. Through loan programs like E-ARISE-ARBs
and AFFORD ARB, DAR aims to restore farm productivity, provide access to
credit, and rebuild damaged agrarian reform communities. The agency is also
assisting insured ARBs in processing their PCIC indemnification claims and
linking cooperatives to post-disaster livelihood support.
Despite the widespread
destruction, the DAR and other government agencies' rapid relief operations and early recovery
programs reflect a strong commitment to helping Cagayan’s farmers and agrarian
reform beneficiaries recover their livelihoods and rebuild stronger, more
resilient farming communities in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Nando.
