The first reports of damage attributed to El Niño surfaced Thursday from Zamboanga del Norte whose rice crops sustained estimated losses of P717,500, according to the Department of Agriculture.
The DA’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Operations Center said the weather disruption impacted on 22.25 hectares of farms planted to rice only just beginning to grow and tended by 22 farmers in the province.
The center regularly disseminates advisories and agro-meteorological information through municipal and city agriculturists and report officers using the various social media platforms.
The agency also said it continues to monitor the weather and actual ground conditions, identify vulnerable areas and provide intervention measures for farmers likely to be affected by weather disruptions.
It is also consolidating plant and harvest data as well as irrigation systems on top of such other activities as cloud seeding operations.
The DA also said it teaches farmers proper crop management during El Niño, including planting schedule adjustments, optimizing fertilizer use and the promotion of drought-resistant crops better adapted to bad weather conditions.
It cited data from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, Astronomical Services Administration indicating a strong and mature ongoing El Niño seen persisting through February this year.
The majority of global climate models suggest that El Niño will likely persist until May but transition to El Niño Southern Oscillation-neutral from April to June, the DA said.
