CEBU CITY, Cebu (PIA) — The Department of Agriculture (DA) is set to distribute buffer farm inputs to supplement the needs of the farms in the region to address the ill-effects of the El Ni\u00f1o phenomenon in the agriculture sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Department of Agriculture (DA) regional disaster risk reduction and management focal person Leo Peletero said the farm inputs to be distributed include seeds, fertilizers, and organic and inorganic pesticides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Peletero assured farmers that they will receive inputs proportional to the size of their land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As of Feb. 21, DA has received reports of agricultural damages caused by El Ni\u00f1o from one local government unit in the region, which is Bayawan City in Negros Oriental.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSa pagkakaron nagpaabot pa ta sa final report sa Bayawan sa assessment sa mga damages,\u201d Peletero said during the Kapihan sa PIA in Cebu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(At the moment, we are still waiting for the final report from Bayawan on their assessment of the damages.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He disclosed that with the reactivation of the El Ni\u00f1o Task Force in the region, damage assessment is now being undertaken in the local government units (LGUs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DA already has the budget to address the agricultural damages caused by El Ni\u00f1o, said Peletero.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once DA receives the damage report from the LGUs, an assessment will immediately be conducted in the affected areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
FARMING CONTINUES<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Currently, the water from the spring and impounding systems can sustain the farms in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPadayon gihapon ang pananom kay naa pa ma\u2019y source of water mga spring and impounding system,\u201d said Peletero.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Farming still continues as there are still sources of water from the springs and impounding system.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n DA has partnered with the National Irrigation Administration to manage the water sources and inspect the water dams in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n PAGASA Visayas Director Al Quiblat (center) and DA7 regional disaster risk reduction and management focal person Leo Peletero (far right) during the Kapihan sa PIA program in Cebu. (PIA7)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Register with PCIC<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n With the farm lands highly vulnerable to the ill-effects of El Ni\u00f1o, Peletero urged the farmers to get registered with the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Registered farms that incurred damages will be compensated based on the result of the damage assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He also encouraged farmers to shift to planting heat-tolerant crops like monggo, beans, and okra that do not need plenty of water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Farmers are also urged to report to their respective local agriculture officer or agriculturist if there are damages in their farms as a result of El Ni\u00f1o.<\/p>\n\n\n\n RAINS STILL POSSIBLE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) clarified that rains are still possible amid the El Ni\u00f1o phenomenon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t mean kung naay El Ni\u00f1o, wala na\u2019y pag-ulan,\u201d said PAGASA Visayas Director Al Quiblat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (It doesn\u2019t mean when there is El Ni\u00f1o, it will not rain.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Quiblat explained that during the El Ni\u00f1o phenomenon, the volume of rain is just lower than normal and the hydrological cycle still continues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the monthly climate forum held livestreamed on the PAGASA official Facebook page on Feb. 27, the El Ni\u00f1o phenomenon remains \u201cstrong and matured.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This means that the phenomenon has already reached its peak, said Quiblat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This signifies that there is a low chance its intensity will increase to \u201cvery strong\u201d level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He added that the public should not be complacent as the impact may be felt between March to May this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From April to June, there is a 79 percent chance of transitioning to El Ni\u00f1o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) neutral condition and 55 percent chance of developing La Ni\u00f1a by June to August.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ENSO neutral condition is a phenomenon that is neither El Ni\u00f1o nor La Ni\u00f1a.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is often associated with typical weather patterns, although there may still be impact from El Ni\u00f1o or La Ni\u00f1a.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Kapihan sa PIA in Cebu is livestreamed over the PIA Central Visayas official Facebook page every Wednesday and aired over Radyo Pilipinas Cebu every Saturday. (Jositte Ann Tista \/PIA 7)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" CEBU CITY, Cebu (PIA) — The Department of Agriculture (DA) is set to distribute buffer farm inputs to supplement the needs of the farms in the region to address the ill-effects of the El Ni\u00f1o phenomenon in the agriculture sector. Department of Agriculture (DA) regional disaster risk reduction and management<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8450,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[33,7,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9635","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-banner-news","category-news","category-top-stories",""],"yoast_head":"\n