‘Super El Niño’ puts food supply on alert as DA boosts reserves

National

BEFORE the next dry spell tightens its grip, the government is moving to fill food warehouses, secure farm inputs and strengthen assistance for communities vulnerable to El Niño.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is expanding storage capacity and intensifying interventions as it prepares for a potentially severe “super El Niño” expected to persist until the first half of 2027.

“We are now more prepared,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said in a Philstar report, citing advance purchases of key commodities, including rice, fertilizer and other farm inputs.

The DA is also shifting to foliar and soil ameliorants, including bio-based, non-urea products, while adjusting fertilizer application and seed intensity according to local conditions. Tiu Laurel stressed that El Niño will not affect all areas uniformly, with some potentially receiving excess water.

The DA expects the weather phenomenon and other shocks to reduce projected palay output during the main harvest in the second half of the year by around 700,000 metric tons, while also affecting fisheries and livestock.

To strengthen food buffers, the National Food Authority now has 365 active warehouses, up from around 300, following the rental of additional facilities. New cold storage facilities are also being opened for meat and vegetables.

Cloud-seeding operations have begun in drought-hit areas, including Isabela and Negros, when cloud formations contain sufficient moisture to generate rain.

Recent heavy monsoon rains have replenished major dams, potentially providing adequate water for the next planting season.

The government has also allocated an additional P6.2 billion to the DA for fuel subsidies and other assistance for farmers, fisherfolk and agricultural truckers amid higher fuel costs and the initial effects of El Niño.

As of Oct. 2, the Office of Civil Defense reported 388,375 people affected across four regions, 11 provinces, 51 cities and municipalities, and 893 barangays. Agricultural damage was estimated at P5.47 billion, affecting nearly 200,000 farmers and fisherfolk and more than 221,000 hectares of crops.(MyTVCebu)