El Niño agri damage pegged at P941M

THE intense heat and drought brought by El Niño continues to wreak havoc on agriculture, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said Thursday, February 29.

The state disaster agency said initial production loss and cost of damage to agriculture was estimated at P941,730,702.

Worst hit by the El Niño is Western Visayas which has so far incurred agricultural damage of P564,056.192; followed by Mimaropa, P319,755.957; Ilocos Region, P54,450.077; Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon), P2,750.947 and Zamboanga Peninsula, P717,527.

At least 25 of the 49 barangay in San Miguel, Bulacan were not spared by the devastating effects of El Niño, bringing extensive damage to crops in 300 hectares of plantations.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Air Force teamed up with the Department of Agriculture to mitigate the effects of El Niño by conducting cloud seeding operations in areas affected by the dry spell.

Utilizing a civilian Piper Navajo aircraft, personnel of the 900th AFWG dispersed over 800 kilograms of sodium chloride in Southern Cagayan and Northern

Isabela on February 25 and 26.

Cloud seeding operations are being conducted to supplement crop water needs during periods of low rainfall.

About 16,709 farmers and fisherfolk as well as 14,854 hectares of crops were affected due to the dry spell.

The local government planned to establish water impoundment and provide alternative high-value crops for the affected farmers.

Farmer Eduardo Domingo said the water supply from the National Irrigation Administration stopped in January, which resulted in the drying up of their field.

In Negros Occidental, six barangay in Himamaylan town reported water shortage in December 2023, the NDRRMC said.

Also, Zamboanga City implemented a water rationing scheme in its west coast and central areas amid limited water supply.

On Monday, the municipal government of Bulalacao in Oriental Mindoro declared a state of calamity due to the impact of the El Niño phenomenon.

The rivers and fields in the town have already dried up, affecting water supply and crops, the municipal government said.

The NDRRMC said P362,564,850 worth of assistance have been provided to affected individuals in Mimaropa.

The weather bureau declared the start of the El Niño phenomenon on July 4 last year.

The El Niño phenomenon is characterized by the abnormal warming of sea surface temperature in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean leading to below normal rainfall.

The effects of El Niño may be felt until April or May.