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Some farmers in Bulacan feeling effects of El Niño

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Jose Carretero, ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA -- Some farmers in Bulacan are now grappling with the effects of the El Niño phenomenon.</p><p>In San Ildefonso, Bulacan, approximately 10 percent of rice farmers have failed to plant during this dry season due to the lack of water supply, especially in rain-fed areas, according to San Ildefonso Municipal Agriculture Officer Victorio Joson.</p><p>They fear that they won&#x27;t be able to achieve the regular harvest of 4.7 metric tonnes this dry season.</p><p>&quot;Kaunti ang maani ng farmer natin, na walang maani, especially tayo po ang isa sa mga inaasahan sa Bulacan na naka-contribute ng malaking ani,&quot; Joson said.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/19/23/denr-sees-major-problems-if-el-nio-persists-in-second-half-of-2024">DENR: &#x27;Major problems&#x27; ahead if El Niño persists in second half of 2024</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/15/23/marcos-calls-for-accelerated-effort-to-prepare-for-el-nio">Marcos calls for &#x27;accelerated effort&#x27; to prepare for El Niño</a></li></ul><p>One of the affected farmers is Wilson De Mesa of Barangay Casalat, San Ildefonso.</p><p>He explained that he could not plant rice due to the lack of water, and it has been two months since it last rained in their area, he said.</p><p>“Ramdam na ramdam na po namin ngayon ang El Niño dahil sa pananim po namin. Dati po natatamnan ng second crop, subalit ngayon hindi na po kami nakapagtanim sa kadahilanang umepekto na ang El Niño dahil malayo kami sa solar irrigation, almost 2 kilometers,” he said.</p><p>He has already plowed his farm, but due to the lack of water, he opted to plant vegetables instead of rice.</p><p>The municipal agriculture office, meanwhile, has advised farmers to plant early maturing vegetables and the agency has started distributing vegetable seeds and fertilizers to the farmers.</p><p>In Bulacan, some farmers are thankful because the agriculture department has provided them with Solar Powered Irrigation System or SPIS. Around 5 SPIS have been established, and some are already operational.</p><p>Engineer Paul John Milanes, the acting Provincial Agriculture Engineer of Bulacan, said the SPIS is a big help to farmers in rain-fed areas. However, they are still worried that their water source might run dry if the El Niño intensifies.</p><p>“Ang pinaka-kritikal lang diyan &#x27;yung water source natin, kung matutuyo si Casalat river yun lang naman po,” Milanes said.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/12/21/23/cavite-nueva-ecija-provinces-experiencing-drought-pagasa">Cavite, Nueva Ecija provinces experiencing drought: Pagasa</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/12/20/23/63-provinces-may-experience-drought-in-2024-dost">63 provinces may experience drought in 2024: DOST</a></li></ul><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2930216" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

Some farmers in Bulacan are now grappling with the effects of the El Niño phenomenon.

Some farmers in Bulacan feeling effects of El Niño

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Some farmers in Bulacan feeling effects of El Niño

Jose Carretero,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jan 14, 2024 06:47 PM PHT

Read More:

El Niño

drought

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agri

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bulacan

san ildefonso

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