Agri damage due to El Niño hits P5.7 billion — DA

MANILA, Philippines — Damage to agricultural products due to the threat of El Niño has reached P5.7 billion, an official from the Department of Agriculture disclosed on Sunday.

This, according to Agriculture Undersecretary Ariel Cayanan, exceeds the department’s forecast of initial forecast of P1.7 billion.

“Initially one month ago is P1.7 billion, yun po kasi ang forecast, pero eventually, as time progresses, medyo mas lumalala pa po siya. May declaration na pong P7.3 or P7.4 billion,” Cayanan said in a news forum, adding that the crops concerned were rice and corn.

“So doon po sa apektado, navalidate na po natin ay mga nasa P5.7 billion, iyon po yang damage sa crops,” he added.

Cayanan also emphasized that cloudseeding is “not the main solution for El Niño” as this would have to depend on the availability of “substantial” clouds that could generate rains.

Despite the high number of agricultural damage recorded by the department, Cayanan assured the public that there would be no shortage of rice and corn in the country.

As per the fishkill incident that happened in Pangasinan recently, Cayanan noted that heat temperature is not the sole cause of its deaths.

“Kaya po nagkakafishkill is actually mismanagement. Minsan, sumobra po ng pakain, pati na rin marumi yung tubig, nagcacause ng pollution,” Cayanan said.

“Kung minsan naman po, yung sobra sobra po yung stock, mayroon po tayong tinatawag na carrying capacity,” he added. /je