Projected damage to agriculture more massive than El Niño
In preparation for the heavy rains brought about by the La Niña phenomenon, the Department of Agriculture (DA) has directed its field offices around the country to prepare as it is expected to cause a more massive damage to agriculture than El Niño.
“Nag-el Niño reporting pa rin tayo pero nasa La Niña watch na tayo (We’re still doing El Niño reporting, but we’re already on La Niña watch). And we are already preparing, the regional field offices have been instructed by the secretary to prepare for La Niña,” DA Assistant Secretary for Operations U-nichols Manalo said in an interview on Thursday, May 9.
La Niña’s agricultural damage, according to the DA, is expected to be way higher than the damage caused by the dry spell.
La Niña is the periodic cooling of ocean surface temperatures along the western coast of South America. It often occurs following an El Niño and it disrupts the typical
regional and global weather patterns in a manner opposite to that of El Niño.
Earlier, President Marcos called on local government units (LGUS) to brace for the upcoming La Niña and prepare programs to help the people during the extreme weather disturbance that brings torrential rains.
“My fellow countrymen, the whole world is facing a great challenge because of climate change. We’re experiencing extreme weather. Extreme heat now and in the next months, there will be extreme rains,” he said during the distribution of assistance to farmers and fisherfolks affected by El Niño in Zamboanga City on Thursday. “That’s why I call on the local government of Zamboanga and neighboring towns in the whole region [Zamboanga Peninsula]: Be prepared at all times.
Let’s find out what our constituents need and let’s create programs that will surely help our fellowmen.”
On May 2, the DA reported that El Niño damage to agriculture has swelled to ₱5.90 billion, affecting 113,585 farmers and fisherfolk. The government had provided ₱2.18 billion in interventions for devastated farmers and fisherfolk.
“Mas malaki yung damage ng La Niña [kumpara sa damage ng El Niño] (The damage caused by La Niña is greater compared to the damage caused by El Niño),” Manalo said, citing past episodes of the two weather phenomena.
The DA official said the agriculture department has been coordinating with farmersʼ groups on drainage water management for farms.
The DA is now looking into areas that have been affected by La Niña in its past 16 episodes in the country, he added.
“When we had this El Niño, the main message was water management. You need to manage available irrigation water. Now, there’s a lot of water coming because of La Niña,” he said. “So, it’s still the same. Water management is still important, especially drainage management on farms. How did we prepare for the El Niño—closer coordination with farmer groups because they are the ones on the ground, with the local government units, and with our counterparts from other government agencies.”
In the Philippines, above-average rainfall is usually brought about by La Niña. This may result in an upsurge in flooding, landslides, and agricultural damage.
But La Niña is not bad at all as it replenishes water reserves and helps agriculture in areas where crops depend on regular rainfall. (With a report from Raymund Antonio)