MANILA, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines' Department of Agriculture is moving to fast-track the rehabilitation of Bicol region's abaca industry after super Typhoon Fung-wong left the region's signature crop in shambles.

Fung-wong, the strongest typhoon to hit the country this year, killed at least 33 people, affected 7 million others, and devastated what has long been Bicol's second agricultural lifeline after coconut.

The Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority said that Fung-wong slightly damaged 1,402 hectares of abaca farms, moderately damaged 18,097 hectares, and heavily damaged 35,699 hectares of plantations across the region's five abaca-producing provinces.

The losses amounted to an estimated 7,493 tons of fiber valued at more than 38 million pesos (about 643,543 U.S. dollars).

For many farmers still reeling from two major typhoons last year, Fung-wong's destruction was another crushing setback.

The region, southeast of Manila, remains central to the industry. Last year, it produced nearly one-third of the nation's abaca output, with Catanduanes province alone accounting for 82 percent. About 56,000 hectares of abaca farms and 24,000 growers depend on the crop for income.

"Bicol is the country's abaca powerhouse -- the region that introduced Manila hemp to the world," Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said. "We owe it to our abaca farmers to help them recover quickly and rebuild stronger."

The Department of Agriculture said the goal is urgent: restore more than 4,500 hectares of abaca farms in three months and help thousands of Bicol families regain their footing. The recovery plan aims to rebuild the region's abaca industry and ensure its farmers rise with it.

To accelerate rehabilitation, the government is rolling out a labor-intensive recovery, mobilizing some 23,619 farmers to clear debris, trim damaged stalks, reinforce plants, and replant uprooted abaca. ■