Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said that the Department of Agriculture (DA) has intensified efforts to prepare local farmers and consumers for a potentially strong El Niño event, which could shrink harvests and disrupt the food supply.
While such losses cannot be entirely prevented, Tiu Laurel said they could be minimized through strategies like shifting to less water-dependent crops such as munggo in drought-prone areas, using solar-powered irrigation, adopting low-cost greenhouses, and implementing earlier planting schedules.
“What we learned during the 2024 El Niño will guide how we prepare and intervene this time around,” Tiu Laurel added.
The DA also emphasized that ongoing interventions under the National Rice Program (NRP) and the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) are being strengthened to cushion the impact of El Niño on rice production and farmer incomes. These include the provision of high quality and climate resilient seeds, fertilizer assistance, farm mechanization, irrigation support, water saving technologies, credit assistance, and intensified extension and farmer training services to improve productivity, reduce production and postharvest costs, and strengthen the resilience and competitiveness of the local rice industry.
The DA is likewise strengthening preparedness measures through irrigation system assessments, climate risk mapping, localized planning, and the prepositioning of drought tolerant seeds, fertilizers, and irrigation support. Existing assistance such as crop insurance, credit access, and market facilitation are also being reinforced, while the El Niño Task Force is being reactivated to improve interagency coordination and response readiness.
As part of these preparations, particularly to ensure food security, Tiu Laurel highlighted that the Philippines and Vietnam have reaffirmed their commitment.
The Southeast Asian governments agreed that the Philippines could, if necessary, purchase up to 1.5 million metric tons of rice from Vietnam—its main rice supplier—at competitive prices.
However, Tiu Laurel emphasized that actual import volumes will depend on both market prices and domestic production.
“Just like last year, when President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. imposed an import ban from September to December to support palay prices, we will continue to balance food security with the interests of our farmers, ensuring they earn a fair return for their hard work,” the DA secretary said.
In addition to supply disruptions and rising input costs caused by the Middle East conflict, agricultural output this year faces threats from a potentially strong El Niño. Agricultural output already contracted by 0.3 percent, with the drop in palay production outweighing gains in poultry and livestock.
Recent studies suggest a severe El Niño could cut farm production by 20 to 30 percent.
