The local agriculture sector has sustained P151.3 million worth of damage and losses on the back of the ongoing El Niño, even as the country has yet to experience the peak of the dry spell.
The latest estimate released by the Department of Agriculture (DA) compares with the P109.4 million in losses at the end of January, covering 6,618 metric tons of palay (unhusked rice) and corn over 3,291 hectares.
The estimates said about 3,923 farmers in Western Visayas and the Zamboanga Peninsula were affected. Further details were not immediately available from the department.
“Most of the damage and losses were incurred on rice and corn that are on their reproductive stage,” the bulletin was cited as saying in a DA statement released Wednesday.
This developed as a strong and mature El Niño is expected to continue through February, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
Meanwhile, the DA will distribute vegetable seeds in Western Visayas while procuring planting materials for high value crops that need less water to help thousands of farmers in the Zamboanga peninsula cope with the damage and losses caused by El Niño.
In another development, a party-list lawmaker urged the government to ramp up the construction of post-harvest facilities this year to complement the increased borrowing of farmers to finance agriculture and fisheries production.
Rep. Wilbert T. Lee of the AGRI party-list group issued the call after the state-run Land Bank of the Philippines reported that loans to agriculture and rural development hit P755.1-billion mark at the end of 2023, equivalent to a 23 percent growth compared to the third quarter of last year.
PAGASA also said the El Niño phenomenon will likely persist until the March-April-May season with a transition to the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-neutral conditions also seen in the April-May-June season.
“While stronger El Niño events increase the likelihood of El Niño-related climate anomalies, it does not necessarily equate to strong impacts, and these effects may not occur everywhere,” the weather agency said.
But the likelihood of below-normal rainfall conditions remains high that could trigger dry spells and droughts in some areas of the country in the first quarter of the year, it added.
PAGASA raised concern that such situation may adversely affect different climate-sensitive sectors, including water resources, agriculture, energy, health and public safety.
Way-below to below-normal rainfall conditions have been experienced in most parts of Luzon, the Visayas and Northern Mindanao in February, while near-to above-normal rainfall have been observed in Pampanga, Tarlac, Bicol and the rest of Mindanao.
PAGASA also said 14 provinces in Luzon are experiencing meteorological drought in the past five months; 10 provinces experiencing dry spells, and 17 provinces experiencing dry conditions. By the end of February, 24 provinces in Luzon and one province in Visayas are potential for drought conditions, 17 provinces for dry spell and 10 provinces for dry condition.
In Luzon, drought affects Abra, Apayao, Aurora, Bataan, Benguet, Cagayan, Cavite, Ifugao, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Isabela, Kalinga, La Union, Metro Manila, Mountain Province, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Occidental Mindoro, Palawan, Pangasinan, Quirino, Rizal, Zambales and Negros Occidental, Batangas, Laguna, Masbate, Oriental Mindoro Also experiencing dry spell are Antique, Biliran, Capiz, Cebu, Eastern Samar, Guimaras, Iloilo, Leyte, Negros Oriental, Samar, Lanao del Norte, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Bohol, Siquijor, Southern Leyte, Camiguin, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay are experiencing dry conditions.
On top of the DA’s action plans are cloud seeding operations, pest control management, and promotion of wider use of drought-resistance crop varieties to help regions experiencing water shortage.
The latest El Niño bulletin estimates damage and losses to farms in Western Visayas and Zamboanga Peninsula at P151.3 million, with 3,923 farmers affected.
Estimates on possible crop losses were placed at 6,618 metric tons of palay and corn, while 3,291 hectares are affected by the dry spell.
According to the latest EL Niño bulletin, most of the damage and losses were on rice and corn that are on their reproductive stage.
The DA has adopted an alternate wetting-and-drying system that reduced water consumption in rice fields.
The agency is also checking use of solar-powered irrigation systems to bring water to farms that are severely impacted.
The DA is considering using shallow tube wells to irrigate farms in rain-fed areas.
It is currently shoring up support from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for other forms of assistance, including financial support to affected farmers.
“We are happy that the Landbank has provided loan of P255.2 billion for agriculture, fisheries, and rural development infrastructure projects such as public markets, highways, and transport systems; P118.1 billion for the processing of fisheries, agri-based products and farm inputs; and P70 billion for the modernization of farming and business processes. This is of great help to stabilize our supply chain and lower the price of agricultural products,” Lee said.