THE dry spell brought about by a weak El Niño episode has lowered the production of rice by at least 20 percent, the National Confederation of Irrigators Association said on Saturday.
NCIA president Silvestre Bonto said the dry spell has reduced the annual rice production of 18.44 million metric tons has gone down to 14.76 million metric tons.
“Of course, there was a reduction of 3.68 million metric tons,” Bonto told The Standard, adding that the reduction may not be that noticeable because “dry spell has set in after the harvest time.
“But the supply of rice will be enough to meet the requirements of the country,” he said, hoping that rain will come this month in time for the planting season.
NCIA is composed of 1.5 million rice farmers nationwide, said Bonto, who is also one of the board members of the National Irrigation Administration.
Bonto said the farm-gate price of palay has even dipped to P13 to P14 per kilo from P17 to P18 per kilo and some areas in the country, like Cagayan de Oro, is experiencing a rice shortage because of high demand, and not due to dry spell.
“A kilo of palay in Cagayan is being sold at P21,” he added.
Meanwhile, Bonto urged President Benigno Aquino III to ensure that the agricultural sector is ready of the a single market set to be implemented by the Association of South East Asian Nations at the end of the year.
“Rice farmers are not yet that ready to compete with their Asean counterparts,” he said, urging the government, particularly the Department of Agriculture, to provide farmers with a subsidy of hybrid seeds good for 100 hectares of farm land, four bags of inorganic fertilizer and 10 bags of organic fertilizer for every delivery of 400 sacks of rice to the National Food Authority.
“Such a subsidy will be a big help to enable us compete globally,” Bonto said.
Meanwhile, the country will continue to experience warm and humid weather due to easterlies, or warm air from the east, as it continues to be the dominant weather system affecting the country, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said.
In an interview, Pagasa weather forecaster Fernando Cada said the low pressure area hovering in east of Mindanao has already dissipated but the chance of isolated rains are high in the eastern section of the country since it is affected by the easterlies.
He explained that since the easterlies are “warm,” the convective activity brought about by its intense heat triggers the formation of localized thunderstorm clouds.
He added that its “rich in moisture” quality also contribute in the formation of thunderstorm clouds.
Cada noted that within the the next two to three days, the country will be storm free as no weather disturbance was seen near the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).
He said PAGASA expects at least one to two cyclones to affect the country this May.
He said the next cyclone that will enter the country will be named “Dodong.”
Cada said the presence of easterlies will bring high temperatures and good weather conditions to the country in the coming days as he advised people to wear lightweight and light-colored clothing, and drink plenty of water.
He said residents of places directly hit by the heat of the sun, without trees, and surrounded by concrete roads would feel much hotter.
Cada said the heat index are human discomfort index that gives the “apparent” temperature or what human perceive or feel as the temperature affecting their body. High air temperatures and high relative humidity will give high apparent temperatures or indices. Full exposure to sunshine can increase the heat index by 9°C.
According to Cada, Metro Manila may expect to reach 37 degrees Celsius in the coming days.
Last April 18, Metro Manila recorded 36.2 degrees Celsius, the highest temperature so far for this year.
Based on the PAGASA’s climatological record, the hottest temperature in Metro Manila was recorded on May 14, 1987 at 38.5 degrees Celsius.
But so far, the hottest temperature in the country for this year was recorded in Mindanao in General Santos at 38.4 degrees Celsius on April 6 followed by Tuguegarao at 37.0 degrees Celsius recorded last April 2 and in Visayas, the province of Cebu recorded 33.4 degrees Celsius last April 4.
The hottest temperature ever recorded in the country was in Tuguegarao, Cagayan at 42.2 degrees Celsius on May 11, 1969.
He said that other parts of Luzon including Metro Manila may experience hotter days due to easterlies would be the dominant weather system in the country resulting in more humid weather.