DA Accelerates Water Projects, Data Strategy to Combat El Niño

PARCHED LAND In this photo taken in March 2024, a farmer in Imus, Cavite, inspects his parched farm during that year’s onset of El Niño. —INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) is implementing a data-driven planning strategy to safeguard the country’s agriculture sector from a looming El Niño phenomenon expected to peak later this year. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said in a statement on Tuesday that the agency is shifting to a broader food systems approach by integrating data on production, storage, logistics, weather information and market demand into a single network supported by real-time data. The DA is also fast-tracking the development of irrigation, water impounding and other climate adaptation projects, including small farm reservoirs, to help mitigate the impact of El Niño on farmers and fishers. READ: Peasant group urges gov’t to act urgently as ‘super’ El Niño looms Tiu Laurel has further directed DA regional offices to identify the strongest agricultural and fisheries commodities per province, quantify production capacity, and measure postharvest losses to guide investments in storage, processing, and cold chain infrastructure. The agriculture chief said that, for instance, the Philippines continues to import onions and carrots despite sufficient production to meet domestic requirements due to inadequate storage and cold chain infrastructure. “Additional cold storage, blast freezers and logistics facilities … would allow local harvests to be preserved longer and distributed more efficiently, significantly reducing the country’s dependence on imports,” Tiu Laurel said. The DA outlined its mitigating measures following the latest forecast of another strong El Niño that is expected to reach its peak around November. “Preparedness prevents a challenge from becoming a crisis, and a crisis from deteriorating into a catastrophe. That must be our guiding principle in the months ahead,” Tiu Laurel said. READ: Pagasa: Over 60% chance of El Niño intensifying from August onwards The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) has projected a 69-percent chance of a strong El Niño emerging between August and September. Likewise, there is a 62-percent chance that the weather phenomenon could become “very strong” during the October-December and November-January seasons. Tiu Laurel said external conditions have become more favorable amid expectations of a prolonged dry spell, allowing farmers to maximize planting before the dry spell intensifies. According to the DA, fuel prices have eased, while fertilizer prices have significantly declined to around $450 per metric ton (MT) from a peak of $930 per MT. Domestic retail prices are expected to return to near pre-Middle East war levels of P1,600 to P2,000 per bag by August, it added. /cb