The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), the country’s premier research and development agency, is designing El Niño risk maps to mitigate the impact of the coming dry spell on the harvest of the country’s staple grain.
Upon instructions from Agriculture Undersecretary for Rice Industry Development Leocadio Sebastian, PhilRice will map out all areas of the country that could be hit by the weather phenomenon to guide local governments and regional field offices on the kind of interventions that would be needed in areas to be affected by El Nino.
Meanwhile, Vietnam has committed to continue exporting rice to the Philippines despite the possible supply challenges that may arise due to El Niño, its envoy to Manila said on Friday.
In a business matching event of the embassy on Friday, Vietnamese Ambassador to the Philippines Hoang Huy Chung said that the Philippines will remain among Vietnam’s key destinations for rice exports.
“Every year we export rice to the Philippines about 2 million tons. During COVID-19, Vietnam promised to ensure rice security for the Philippines… In Vietnam, we are strong in rice production… We shall export rice to the Philippines when in need,” Hoang said.
A Philippine agriculture industry group earlier said a rice crisis may ensure as El Niño may affect other Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam, a major source of the Philippines’ rice imports.
PhilRice deputy director for Development Karen Barroga said the agency has been disseminating satellite-based data on rice area, production, and yield to local government units and DA regional field offices so that they can be adequately guided on how to adjust their cropping calendars and on what interventions to give.
These data include weather patterns obtained and analyzed by the Philippine Rice Information System (PRISM) team that are sent to LGUs and their extension workers and DA regional field officers so they can adequately guide farmers on seed varieties to plant based on available water supply.
PRISM, a Bureau of Agricultural Research-funded project with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and is now managed by PhilRice, is the first rice monitoring system in Southeast Asia that uses satellite imagery and information and communication technology, crop modeling, and smartphones.
It has a network of focal persons nationwide who are tasked to validate satellite data and help disseminate these to policy and decision-makers, who in turn transmit them to farmers either through extension workers or using call/text digital technology.
Through PRISM, the extent of standing crops and the different crop stages all over the country can also be known, Barroga explained.
“These are the data that inform us how to adjust the schedule of planting so that the crops would not be hit by typhoons,” she said. Historical data on PRISM can be analyzed in determining how and when to adjust the planting calendar.
“We are trying to spread out to the mainstream and social media information through this magazine and other science-based materials that we have at PhilRice so that we can help people find solutions rather than sink into inaction over El Nino,” she added.
PhilRice has also been sending out relevant information to farmers through the “Be Water Smart” magazine containing data on varieties and ways to optimize water use to mitigate the impact of El Nino.
The magazine also contains previous experiences of farmers, particularly on how they coped with calamities and adverse weather conditions, thereby enriching the knowledge of other farmers on what to expect and how to cope with El Nino.
In addition, it has information on seed varieties that are heat or drought-tolerant and under what soil conditions they can be planted, including the experience of Vietnam in using climate-smart maps to address its drought problem.