DA ready with measures to cushion effects of El Niño
The Department or Agriculture Regional Field Unit (DA-RFU 6) is ready with measures to assist farmers that will be affected by the mild El Niño phenomenon.
DA-RFU 6 regional executive director Larry Nacionales said that around 40,000 hectares of rice fields in Western Visayas are vulnerable to the mild El Niño.
These are located in the first and second district of Iloilo, portions of Antique and Guimaras.
These areas, according to Nacionales, usually experience Type 3 climate, where the dry season can be felt from November to April and wet season for the rest of the year.
Nacionales said that together with local government units (LGUs), they came up with mitigation plans for the phenomenon that were submitted to the DA-central office.
“We ask for additional budget so that farmers in these affected areas will have additional economic activities,” he said.
Included in the plans were the establishment of vegetable farms, piglet dispersal and installation of shallow tube wells.
Nacionales said that they also need to have buffer stocks of seeds because the “concern is recovery after the dry season.”
The regional director said losses have been pegged at about 125,000 metric tons or only about two percent of the total target production, which is minimal when compared with the damaged caused by typhoon Frank in 2008.
The target production this year is about 2.3 million metric tons, he said.
Meanwhile, he said that Western Visayas is the only region in Visayas and Mindanao that was able to gain positive growth last year with 2.2 million metric tons or about four percent higher when compared with 2008.
He attributed the growth to the increase in areas that were planted with rice and higher yield.
On the other hand, Nacionales said that Capiz province is not affected by the drought even it was reported by the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Service Administration (Pagasa) to have experienced an abnormal rainfall pattern. (PNA)
