“I believe in the future of agriculture born not out of faith but of deeds” – Anonymous
Still reeling from the impacts of the devastating of El Nino we ask, “how are we going to recover from that impact especially the small farmers and fishers of Negros?” Perhaps, this can be answered by highlighting what remains for Negros in 2024. The provincial government banners the Abanse Negrense slogan with programs and services anchored to it, especially the agriculture and fishery sectors as significant factors in economic recovery after the pandemic and the recent phenomenon.
A quick look at the outlook in the remaining months of the year can provide us necessary insights.
MAJOR CROPS AND FISHERIES HIGHLIGHTS
The first half of this year was gloomy as major crops suffer from the challenges of climate change. Sugar production dropped towards the end of the last milling season because the dry spell led to early maturation and early harvest. As a result, majority of the sugar mills, most of them in Negros, decided to close down operations months earlier because of the lack of sugarcane supply to mill. Some sugar mills closed as early as February and March.
The drought affected approximately 100,000 hectares of sugarcane plantation causing significant losses and the coming milling season is predicted to be affected. Also, the lack of water supply for irrigation is one major factor. For small producers and ARB’s, almost 90% of them only rely on rain with no irrigation system. Negros Occidental remains a vital player in the industry and stakeholders are taking initiatives for recovery.
Rice is another major crop and a staple that impacted the region’s almost 170,000 growers, including Negros Occidental. And one major step was the distribution of seeds to the affected rice growers to enhance productivity and food security. For the province alone, last year’s production covered more than 130,000 hectares for a total production of almost 466,000 metric tons with an average yield of 3.84 metric tons per hectare. But the drought has certainly impacted rice and data is still being collected. The 4th district is considered as the rice granary of the Negros and San Enrique was the most affected with more than 10,000 rice growers absorbing the brunt.
And corn as a major crop faced a tough challenge during the first half as well. There is a projected decrease in its production from last year’s 1.47 million metric tons yield for April to June to 1.19 million metric tons. The prospect for the rest of the year in its production area may decrease 15% compared to the actual estimate from last year. The remaining yield will only be about 3.43 metric tons from 3.60 metric tons per hectare.
On the other hand, the fishery sector in the province is almost constantly facing the same but growing challenges, mainly involving illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing. This, despite the landmark fishery laws enacted. A very pervasive concern in Negros that poses risks to small and marginal fishers including their local communities and their health and the entire fishery ecosystem that threatens sustainability of fishing resources. Evidently, efforts by LGUs and the concerned agencies are simply not enough in this major problem the province faces. The province has 52 coastal barangays covering 10 localities. Currently there is an initiative called Fish Right Program supported by USAID that aims to reverse or recover depleted fishery resources in the province. We presume there is more uptake on the part of the stakeholders especially the LGUs.
SECOND HALF OUTLOOK AND BEYOND
The prospects of recovery for the second half of 2024 is positive and momentum-gaining despite the downfall in the first half caused largely by climate change. This is the biggest problem we face that is getting worse by the day. And while efforts gain ground especially from the provincial government, consistency of efforts are always suspect in the mid-ways.
Available research and data as a basis for decision making may become outdated because of lack of action. Challenges have been identified that needed to be concretized on the ground in a more adequate and responsive manner. Credit access, infrastructure, market opportunities, and capability building are just lingering concerns that need to be addressed.
Recognizing that a significant portion of the province still suffer from hunger and mass poverty this can only aggravate and exacerbate their plight if these challenges are not faced squarely. Urgently.*
