Even though the El Niño phenomenon has yet to reach its peak, damage and losses sustained by the agriculture sector due to the severe climate condition have already swelled to over P100 million, the government said.
Citing assessments from its regional field offices in Western Visayas and Zamboanga Peninsula, the Department of Agriculture on Wednesday said damage to crops brought about by El Niño stood at P109.4 million — significantly higher than the initial P717,500 worth of losses reported as of Jan. 24.
The DA said El Niño has affected 2,602 farmers who till 2,177 hectares of rice fields in the two regions, with a total 4,738 metric tons of rice damaged.
“Most of the damage and losses incurred on rice are at reproductive stages,” the DA said, adding it has taken several measures to address the threat of El Niño, including the following:
· Regular monitoring of weather conditions and actual ground situation;
· Continuous dissemination of advisories and agro-meteorological information through Provincial, Municipal/City Agriculturists and Report Officers through Facebook/Messenger;
· Information on proper crop management during El Niño, including adjustment of planting schedules and optimizing fertilizer use;
· Field validation of areas vulnerable to drought and dry spell, and positioning of interventions for farmers to be affected;
· Analyze data on planting and harvesting (rice and corn), sources of irrigation systems (dams, SWIP, SSIPs), as well as status of irrigation facilities (operational, non-operational)
· Joint area assessment before the conduct of cloud seeding operations by concerned DA operating units and national agencies; and
· Adoption of drought-resistant crop varieties during El Niño.
Citing an El Niño advisory issued by the state weather bureau PAGASA, the DA said a strong El Niño was ongoing and was expected to continue from January to February 2024.
“Majority of global climate models suggest that El Niño will likely persist until the March-April-May 2024 season with a transition to ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillation)-neutral in the April-May-June 2024 season,” it said.
The El Niño phenomenon is characterized by the abnormal warming of sea surface temperature in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean and below normal rainfall.
“As for the status of dams, the Reservoir Water Level (RWL) of Angat Dam as of January 30, 2024 is 211.40 meters which is higher than its rule curve elevation of 203.04 meters, while the following dams are reported to be below their rule curve elevation: San Roque: -13.31 meters, Pantabangan: -19.74 meters, and Magat: -4.25 meters,” the DA said.
Earlier, PAGASA reported that the El Niño phenomenon may affect 56 provinces by April. Its effects may last longer than expected, PAGASA said, with droughts crippling farmlands beyond May.
Last Friday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported that eight provinces were now experiencing droughts due to the El Niño, namely Apayao, Bataan, Cagayan, Cavite, Ilocos Norte, Kalinga, Palawan, and Zambales.
PAGASA had forecast up to 14 provinces to experience a dry spell by the end of January.