Department of Agriculture (DA) officials from Regions 1, 2, 3 and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) gathered Wednesday to solidify plans to safeguard food production in response to the intensifying El Niño phenomenon.
Agriculture Undersecretary for Rice Industry Development Leocadio S. Sebastian emphasized the need for strategic water management to mitigate the anticipated drought.
He urged the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) in these regions
to optimize water release by carefully planning the allocation of water resources, ensuring equitable distribution, and maximizing efficiency.
To further strengthen efforts, Sebastian called for enhanced coordination between regional field offices (RFOs), NIA, the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), and other DA agencies, for a unified approach to El Niño challenges.
The rice cluster also called for the deployment of more water pumps to provide direct support to farmers in drought-prone areas by readily deploying water pumps for emergency irrigation and it also intensified the promotion of the alternate wet and dry (AWD) system, a water-saving rice cultivation technique that stretches limited water supplies while preventing rice paddies from becoming oversaturated.
Sebastian stressed the importance of prudent water use, not only to extend its reach but also in alignment with global efforts towards carbon reduction.
He further advised RFO heads and NIA officials to prepare a budget for cloud seeding for areas most prone to the dry spell to boost water levels in irrigation dams and canals.
Sebastian instructed the NIA to provide updated information on water delivery efficiency, especially in vulnerability assessments for areas likely to be hardest hit by El Niño.
The DA aims to actively collaborate with private suppliers of agricultural inputs and technology to accelerate modernization and improve resilience within the rice sector.
Further highlighting support for farmers, Sebastian confirmed the ongoing distribution of intervention monitoring cards (IMCs) to clustered irrigator associations, cooperatives, and other farm organizations registered under the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture.
The cards, which function as both farmer IDs and digital payment platforms for loans, empower farmers with greater control over their input choices, access to technology, and financing options.
The state weather bureau said only 11 tropical cyclones entered the Philippine area of responsibility so far in 2023, much lower than the annual average of 19 to 20 storms a year.
Among this year’s storms, three rapidly intensified over the Philippine Sea and reached super typhoon category: Betty, (international name Mawar) in late May; Egay (Doksuri) in July; and Goring (Saola) in August.
National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) data showed the cumulative damage to infrastructure, agriculture, houses, and other assets this year amounted to P17.76 billion. Some 35 people died from 11 storms and cyclone-enhanced severe weather systems such as the southwest monsoon and shear line.
Ana Liza Solis, chief of PAGASA’s Climate Monitoring and Prediction Section, attributed the reduction in the number of storms in the country this year to the prevailing strong El Niño in the equatorial Pacific.
Also on Thursday, Senator Grace Poe welcomed the assurances offered by the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) that it has prepared extensively for El Nino.
She also said she would continue to work for the passage of a bill creating a Department of Water Resources to lead and consolidate a whole-of-society effort for the comprehensive and integrated development and management of water resources.
“We need this new body amid the rising demand for water with the population growth and increasing commercial activities,” she said.
“The preparations of our water regulator and concessionaires during the dry months should be complemented by proper policies in place to spare our people from the brunt of the perennial water crisis,” she said.