DA: Threat of El Niño dampens agri growth

It could be a bad year for farmers if the predicted El Niño phenomenon might hit the country this year.

El Niño, which is feared to trigger drought in farmlands, is a big threat to agriculture growth.

Gerry Avila, agribusiness chief at the Department of Agriculture in Central Visayas, expressed concern the region’s agriculture industry might see a bad yearend if this event occurs.

"Of course we are worried of the possible impact of El Niño to our farms," he said.

He added the phenomenon, it if hits badly, could dampen farm production and growth of the industry.

Aside from typhoons, El Niño is threatening agriculture growth this year and next.

The agriculture sector in Central Visayas — composed of Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental and Siquijor — made a big rebound in 2017, growing 7 percent as production increased and few calamities hit the region last year, according to the National Economic and Development Authority.

Weather agency PAGASA has warned an El Niño is more likely to develop this year.

If this event happens, dry spell may be felt in the first quarter of 2019.

PAGASA had reported that there is probability for the country to experience dry spell in the first quarter of 2019, noting a 65 percent chance for El Niño to develop between September, October and November.

Earlier, the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) had lined up its water sourcing plans to plug the growing gap between supply and demand, especially with a likely El Niño occurrence by the end of the year.

“We may not be able to close the gap between the supply and demand as fast as we wish to but we are heading towards that direction. Metro Cebu’s fast economic development is a blessing but the increase of the water requirements at an unprecedented speed is an ongoing challenge for the water district,” MCWD general manager Jose Singson Jr. said in a statement.

MCWD, the largest water supplier in Metro Cebu, currently serves only 42 percent of the water demand in four major cities and four municipalities, with some areas experiencing less than 24 hours of supply.

The current demand of Metro Cebu’s over one million population is now at 400,000 cubic meters (cu. m.) per day while MCWD is producing only about 234,000 cu. m., sourced mostly from groundwater wells and bulk water supply from private suppliers.