Progressive groups called on the national government to grant “much-needed” production subsidies for small scale farmers and fishers amid the looming El Niño. (Unsplash)
For peasant group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), it is “high time” for the Department of Agriculture to grant this request, stressing that the provision of aid and subsidies could help in the midst of increasing costs of production. “Our past experiences have shown that El Niño and other adverse climate patterns may result in lower agricultural output and even crop failures. Our only option now is to mitigate the risks and impact of El Niño,” said KMP. Carrying the same demand, fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) urged the Marcos administration to come up with a contingency plan for the agri-fisheries sectors in light of this El Niño threat. To shed light on the situation of Filipino fishermen,  Pamalakaya explained that El Niño causes ecological disturbances such as fish kill and red tide. Not only that, it also makes fishing activities more difficult than usual because during this phenomenon marine resources move to deeper waters to seek cooler temperatures. These situations lead to further reduction of income for small scale fishermen. “Without delay, the government should concretely address [this] to relieve the catastrophic impacts of El Niño to the agriculture and fisheries,” Pamalakaya concluded. Earlier in May, state weather bureau Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) raised an El Niño Alert, warning of a 70 percent or more chance of El Niño development within the next two months.