The damage caused by the El Niño phenomenon to the Philippines’ agricultural sector has ballooned to P1.75 billion, the Department of Agriculture (DA) disclosed on Monday, March 18.
Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa, the spokesperson of the DA, said nearly 30,000 farmers in eight regions have been affected by El Niño.
Based on the data from the agriculture department, the regions hit by the phenomenon are Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), MIMAROPA (Mindoro Occidental, Mindoro Oriental, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan), Western Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula and SOCCSKSARGEN (South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos City).
“Ang pinaka malaking (The most damage) damage [due to El Niño phenomenon] ay (is) Region IV-B (MIMAROPA) at P770 million, followed by Western Visayas at P564 million, and then Region II (Cagayan Valley) P180 million; Region III (Central Luzon) P158 million; Region I (Ilocos Region) P54 million; Region IX (Zamboanga Peninsula) P13 million; CALABARZON P7 million; Region XII (SOCCSKSARGEN) P2 million,” De Mesa told reporters in a briefing at DA’s Central Office in Quezon City.
The spokesperson said 18,651 hectares of rice have been affected by El Niño with a production loss of 48,332 metric tons (MT). Meanwhile, for corn, the affected area is at 11,382 hectares while its production loss is pegged at 18,966 MT.
The DA noted that the potential production losses from 32,231 hectares affected by the dry spell are estimated at 48,332 metric tons (MT) for palay, 18,966 MT for corn, and 7,794 MT for high-value crops (HVC).
Assistance for El Niño-affected farmers
The agriculture department said it has so far given P 379.06 million worth of assistance to 29,437 El Nino-affected farmers in the said regions.
“Among the assistance provided were high-value crops with less water requirement (e.g. mungbean) to affected farmers in Iloilo and Negros Occidental amounting to P990,000,” the DA stated.
In addition, the DA said it has distributed hybrid rice seeds worth P7.87 million and fertilizers worth P7.63 million to farmers living in non-vulnerable areas in Western Visayas to maximize production and compensate for the incurred losses.
De Mesa said the government had also provided P362.56 million in assistance to 71,795 farmers in MIMAROPA from the Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RFFA) program.
Meanwhile, he said 35 rice and 16 corn farmers from Ilocos, Central Luzon and Mimaropa regions have been indemnified by the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) with a total amount of P1.24 million.
“DA is continuously coordinating with the concerned for the provision and fast-tracking of financial assistance to affected farmers,” the spokesperson said.
Water supply amid drought
To ease water shortage, the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) is also conducting cloud seeding operations to ease water shortage, focusing on agricultural areas in Southern Cagayan and Northern Isabela. De Mesa said this resulted in light to moderate rainfall over the said areas.
Per the agriculture department, the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) has put up 570 water augmentation pumps in Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Mimaropa, and Western Visayas regions.
“Concreting of irrigation canals is also ongoing, which improved 847.82 kilometers of irrigation canals, benefitting 40,621 farmers nationwide. Further, desiltation of irrigation canals is being undertaken, improving water flow of 3,167.95 kilometers of irrigation canals nationwide,” it added.
The DA said farmers are continuously adopting the alternate wetting-and-drying method that reduces water consumption in 162,623 hectares of agricultural areas.
As such, the agency said farmers are also implementing a quick turnaround strategy at 3,878.15 hectares of agricultural areas in Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Mimaropa and Soccsksargen.
De Mesa stated that regional field offices in Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, and MIMAROPA have begun endorsing the list of affected farmers to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for additional assistance such as food packs and cash for work programs.