The Department of Agriculture is strengthening its preparations for the incoming “strong” El Niño as the weather phenomenon threatens to disrupt farm production and supply this year.
“What we learned during the 2024 El Niño will guide how we prepare and intervene this time around,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said.
He added that farm losses could be minimized through the use of solar-powered irrigation, the adoption of low-cost greenhouses, and the implementation of earlier planting schedules. He also pushed for the use of less water-dependent crops, such as mung beans or monggo, in drought prone areas.
He said the DA has been ordered to conduct an assessment of irrigation systems, climate risk mapping, as well as the stockpiling of drought-tolerant seeds.
The agriculture chief also ordered the reinforcement of interventions under the National Rice Program to cushion the impact of El Niño on domestic rice production. Support includes the procurement of climate-resilient seeds, along with assistance for fertilizer, mechanization, irrigation, water-saving technologies, and credit.
The DA will also intensify farmer training services to improve their productivity and reduce production and postharvest costs.
It said earlier that palay production is projected to decline to 18.8 million metric tons, its lowest level in a decade, due to the effects of the incoming “super” El Niño, coupled with surging fuel and fertilizer costs.
Improvements to its crop insurance, credit access, and market support, are also being conducted to assist farmers that could be affected by the looming dry season. The El Niño task force has also been reactivated to improve interagency coordination.
Our past experience with the El Niño weather phenomenon should give our officials enough reason to be as prepared as they can be, especially with this year’s being expected by scientists to be especially “strong.” While it may not seem fair that the country is already facing a crisis due to the war in the Middle East, which drastically affects the supply and price of fuel and fertilizer, which are among the most important inputs in agriculture, El Niño does not discriminate and those that do not prepare will certainly suffer the consequences.
Hopefully the Philippines, which is among the countries most vulnerable to weather phenomena like El Niño, has not only learned the necessary lessons from the past, but has also properly prepared for its eventual return.*
