According to a report released on Monday by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), the Philippines’ continuing El Niño episode has caused crop losses totaling P1.23 billion since the start of January.
The severe weather phenomena has affected 29,409 farmers nationwide, affecting a variety of agricultural commodities on 26,731 hectares of farmland, including livestock, high-value crops, rice, and corn, according to the NDRRMC’s data.
Although the study said that 30 families or 142 persons nationally have been impacted by El Niño, the NDRRMC did not elaborate on how these people were negatively impacted by the meteorological phenomena.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) has provided approximately P360 million in aid to lessen the effects on the impacted farmers. Furthermore, according to the NDRRMC, the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation has provided more than P42 million in help to assist those impacted.
In an effort to counteract El Niño’s effects, the DA has implemented proactive measures, such as the alternate wetting-and-drying method, which uses less water in rice fields. In addition, the department has been experimenting with solar-powered irrigation systems to augment the water supply in places vulnerable to drought and trying shallow tube wells for locations that receive rainfall.
