DA’s first El Niño bulletin for 2024 shows P700K agri losses

MANILA, Philippines — Farmers in Zamboanga Del Norte have sustained over P700,000 in agricultural losses due to the El Niño phenomenon, the Department of Agriculture revealed in its first bulletin for the dry spell in 2024.

The January 24, 2024, bulletin shows the DA Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DA-DRRM) Operations Center listing 22 farmers in the province affected by the dry spell – all farming rice.

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“Based on the initial assessment of DA Regional Field Office IX, damage and losses have been reported in Zamboanga del Norte amounting to PhP 717.5k affecting 22 farmers, with 22.25 hectares of rice areas,” DA-DRRM said in a post on Facebook accompanying the bulletin.

To help curb losses in the province, DA-DRRM mentioned that they had been monitoring the weather conditions and actual ground situation in the area.

Among the other steps that the DA has taken include a “joint area assessment before the conduct of cloud seeding operations” and the “promotion of drought-resistant crops that are better adapted to the anticipated weather conditions during El Niño,” DA-DRRM said.

Before the bulletin, farmers in different parts of the country had been struggling as El Niño dried up rice paddies and farmlands.

Seven provinces in Luzon have already experienced the dry spell, which may last until March, the DA previously said.

READ: Farmers warned as Central Luzon deals with dry spell, drought

State meteorologists noted that a strong El Niño is ongoing and may persist until February this year.

Meanwhile, the entire El Niño phenomenon may continue until May this year before transitioning to an El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Neutral from April to June 2024.

READ: Pagasa: Strong El Niño expected to prevail until February

An ENSO-neutral phenomenon pertains to weather conditions that are neither labeled as El Niño nor La Niña, the state weather bureau said in a previous statement.