MANILA — The Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA) said its preparations for El Niño include building up stocks of food and farm inputs as well as expanding the warehousing network.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. said on Thursday that the DA is better prepared than during the last El Niño, which was taking hold when he joined the government in November 2023.

“We are now more prepared,” Mr. Laurel said, citing the agency’s advance purchases of rice, fertilizer, and other agricultural inputs.

The government has also given the DA an additional P6.2 billion for fuel subsidies and other assistance to aid farmers, fisherfolk, and haulers of agricultural products coping with higher fuel costs triggered by the conflict in the Middle East.

The DA is shifting to foliar and soil ameliorants, including bio-based, non-urea products, while tailoring interventions to local conditions. Mr. Laurel added that El Niño does not mean all areas will be dry, as some places may receive excessive water. El Niño, the periodic warming of sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific, tends to disrupt normal rainfall patterns, leaving some regions drier while others get unusually heavy rain. The agency plans to increase fertilizer application and seed intensity in areas where conditions warrant.

“At the end of the day, we are looking at the worst-case scenario, so we expect that overall production will still be lower,” he said.

El Niño is expected to affect fisheries, livestock, and crops, shaving around 700,000 metric tons from projected palay (unmilled rice) output during the main harvest in the second half of the year. Palay is milled into rice, the country’s staple food, which is why the projected shortfall carries weight in national food supply planning.

To build a bigger food buffer, the National Food Authority (NFA) now operates 365 active warehouses, up from around 300, after renting an additional 165 facilities. According to Mr. Laurel, the expanded network includes silos and other warehouses that should help the country ride out potential supply disruptions. New cold storage facilities will also be opened to extend the shelf life of meat and vegetables.

Cloud seeding has begun in drought-hit areas, including Isabela and Negros. Mr. Laurel said the DA will deploy seeding when cloud formations have enough moisture to generate rain. “We will do anything that is needed to help the situation,” he said.

The DA continues to work with Office of the President, which oversees the irrigation program. Recent heavy monsoon rains have replenished major dams, giving irrigated areas a potentially adequate buffer for the next planting season.

Full reservoirs provide some breathing room, Mr. Laurel said, but the last El Niño made clear that preparation must come well before the drought peaks. How dam levels hold up through the dry months, and whether official palay estimates shift as the second-half harvest approaches, will be key markers of how these preparations withstand the drought.

— Moureen Ylessandra B. Dizon

Source: BusinessWorld