DA Mobilizes Regional Offices, Other Units Vs El Niño

(PNA) — In the wake of a prevailing mild case of El Niño in the country, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said Wednesday that he has directed all regional offices, concerned bureaus and attached agencies of the Department of Agriculture to be on their toes against the impact of the phenomenon.

Alcala said his order included an intensified monitoring and reporting about the status of drought incidence –- which is possibly the initial manifestation of the phenomenon –- in their respective areas, including damage estimates and proposed interventions to help affected farms recover.

His directives came after the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) confirmed Tuesday that the Philippines is currently experiencing a mild case of El Niño.

Experts said it means that a short dry spell may persist in some parts of the country and may prolong the dry season.

But despite the pronouncement, the Agriculture chief said they are hoping for a minimal effect on major crops as initial reports from the field have shown that a significant number of palay and corn farmers have started to harvest their crops as early as last month.

“In fact, many of those who have harvested their crops have even already planted another cropping,” he said.

“Field validation on the volume of harvested crops as well as crops that may be affected by the phenomenon is ongoing and DA will come up with figures at the soonest possible time,” Alcala said.

He said the DA has been taking a proactive stance against the weather event even before it was officially announced by the state weather bureau.

“As early as mid-last year, DA already reactivated its National El Niño Task Force composed of regional offices and various attached agencies and bureaus. The task force is charged to coordinate DA’s various El Niño interventions with other relevant government agencies and organizations such as the National Risk Reduction and Management Council,” he said.

Funding requirement to carry out measures under the plan –- aptly called El Niño Mitigation and Adaptation Plan –- totaled P1.8 billion as requested by the DA before the Department of Budget of Management.

The DA chief said that they have also enlisted the support of the farmers to help combat the adverse effects of El Niño.

“As sufficient irrigation water in farms is crucial, the DA has been coordinating with the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) for a better management of agricultural water even as the campaign among farmers to employ water saving techniques continues,” he said.

The DA has also distributed drought-resistant palay seeds and assisted farmers in the adjustment of their cropping season so as to avoid the so-called disaster-prone months.

In the meantime, Alcala urged affected farmers to report their crop losses to their municipal agriculturists, who will in turn coordinate the information to the concerned DA regional office for the replacement of seeds and other forms of assistance.

“We will try our best to give affected farmers replacement seeds after the mild El Niño has passed so that their income would not be affected,” he said.

Meanwhile, Agriculture Undersecretary for Field Operations Emerson Palad said the government does not need to revise agricultural growth targets this year for now.

The DA is aiming for another record palay and corn output this year, in line with the overall agri-fishery target of 3-5 percent under the Philippine Development Plan 2011-2016.

In 2014, Philippine agriculture expanded by 1.83 percent, boosted by nearly 3 percent growth in palay to 18.97 million metric tons, and 5.33 percent in corn to 7.8 million tons.

“For one, there is no official announcement as to what areas will be affected and as to what extent the damage will be to our agricultural crops,” he said.

“At present, we are coordinating with PAGASA on the possible areas that might be hardest hit by El Niño where there will be a shortage of water,” Palad said.

As for Alcala, he said that DA remains optimistic that they can still reach their target for the year despite the prevailing El Niño.

“Good weather permitting, DA hopes to increase 2015 production to 20.08 million tons for palay and 8.4 million tons for corn,” he said. (PNA) LGI/CMR