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06092023-el-nino-arrives

JERVIS MANAHAN

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1707458299094.jpeg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner"><span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;float:none;display:inline !important">A farmer tries to save whatever&#x27;s left of their expected harvest at a farmland in Isabela on March 25, 2010. The lack of rain for almost 4 months, worsened by rising temperature brought by the 2010 El Nino phenomenon, caused serious impacts to Northern Luzon&#x27;s agricultural production. <em>Gigie Cruz, ABS-CBN News</em></span><em> </em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — Agricultural damage due to El Niño has reached P151 million, as the weather phenomenon affected more rice and corn plantation, according to a government bulletin released Friday. </p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/2/7/marcos-wants-faster-completion-of-water-projects-amid-el-ni-o-1329">Marcos Jr. wants faster completion of &#x27;all&#x27; water projects amid El Niño</a></div><p>Based on the third El Niño bulletin, around 4,000 farmers from Western Visayas and Zamboanga Peninsula have been affected by El Niño.</p><p>Possible production losses were pegged at 6,618 metric tons of palay and corn, mostly in Iloilo, Antique, Negros Occidental, and Zamboanga Del Norte.</p><p>The Department of Agriculture (DA) also reported that 3,291 hectares were affected by the dry spell.</p><p>&quot;Overall, hindi pa naman siya ganon kalaki in terms of volume and amount pero siyempre gusto natin, minimal ang damage,&quot; said DA spokesperson Arnel De Mesa.</p><p>&quot;Kung titingnan natin ang historical record nung 1997 to 1998, kung di ako nagkakamali, P5 or 6 billion ang damage,&quot; he said.</p><p>De Mesa said the current amount of damage would have minimal affect overall rice supply. </p><p>&quot;There are mitigating measures that we could do to minimize the losses gawa ng El Niño,&quot; he said.</p><div><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></div><p>These measures include the distribution of high-yielding and hybrid varieties of palay to ensure better harvest despite the dry spell.</p><div><strong>&#x27;GETTING WORSE&#x27;</strong></div><p>But the Federation of Free Farmers appeared less optimistic about the state of rice in the country.</p><p>&quot;From the feedback we&#x27;re getting, mukhang lumalala ang problema. In the case of rice, okay pa ang areas serviced ng irrigation systems pero yung small scale irrigation, nagda-dry up na yung source,&quot; said Raul Montemayor of the FFF.</p><p>&quot;Mukang it will get worse before it gets better,&quot; he added.</p><p>Montemayor said it was also too late for the Department of Agriculture to install solar irrigation systems since farmers have started feeling the effects of El Niño.</p><p>&quot;Yung mga pumps, they should have been installed last year pa. &#x27;Pag ngayon lang ilalagay, too late na, lalo government funded yan, may bidding pa, baka tapos na El Niño bago mailagay ang mga yan,&quot; Montemayor said.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/24/24/drought-in-8-provinces-dry-spell-in-metro-manila-as-el-nio-intensifies">Drought in 8 provinces, dry spell in Metro Manila as El Niño intensifies</a></div><p>&quot;Kung mauubusan tubig ngayon, pwede ma-affect yung harvest sa March,&quot; he warned.</p><p>The DA has adopted an alternate wetting-and-drying system that reduces water consumption in rice fields.</p><div><strong>WARNING AGAINST HOARDING</strong></div><p>The DA warned traders against possible hoarding of rice during the El Niño.</p><p>&quot;Yung warning sa hoarding, nabanggit ni Sec. Kiko Laurel, just to caution yung mga gustong manamantala dahil may El Ninño, gagamitin para mang hoard para mapataas ang presyo,&quot; De Mesa said.</p><p>&quot;Precautionary yan lalo pag dumating na yung harvest natin,&quot; he added.</p><p>Montemayor said traders might be beefing up their stocks due to fears that supply could run low as the country felt the full effects of El Niño.</p><p>&quot;That&#x27;s always a possibility, pero not necessarily hoarding, but preparing for periods na magiging tight ang supply,&quot; Montemayor said.</p><p>Montemayor said that imports might supply the country&#x27;s rice demand until March, when harvests begin. Local harvests will then supply the country until June.</p><p>&quot;Ang problema na hindi sinasabi ng DA, what happens after June?&quot; Montemayor asked.</p><p>&quot;In general, hoarding and profiteering are results of tight supply, pag kulang supply, may temptation na mag-hoard until tumaas presyo,&quot; he added.</p><p>This, he said, can only be solved by addressing the supply problem.</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kzg6CnP4Tpo?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>But the Federation of Free Farmers seemed less optimistic about the state of rice in the country.</p>

But the Federation of Free Farmers seemed less optimistic about the state of rice in the country.

Agri damage due to El Niño tops P150 million

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Agri damage due to El Niño tops P150 million

JERVIS MANAHAN,

ABS-CBN News

Published February 09, 2024 02:02 PM PHT

|

Updated February 12, 2024 01:49 PM PHT

Read More:

El Nino

DA

Agriculture

Hoarding

El Niño

agri

Department of Agriculture

weather

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