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Farmers harvest their crops under the scorching sun on a tenth of a hectare rice farm in Barangay Krus na Ligas, Quezon City on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File
MANILA — The Department of Agriculture on Monday assured that there is sufficient supply of rice and other agricultural commodities until the end of the looming "Super El Niño," which is expected to persist until early 2027.
This, as the country is expected to lose 700,000 metric tons of palay due to the phenomenon.
Agriculture spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arnel De Mesa said efforts to boost local production are underway with the National Food Authority continuously buying palay from farmers.
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"Bagama't mas mababa ito [expected losses] doon sa 2024 El Niño dahil na rin sa mga paghahanda na ginagawa natin, hindi pa rin natin maalis, of course, depende sa severity at kung gaano katagal tatama iyong El Niño kasi maaapektuhan iyong dry season crop natin," De Mesa said in a phone interview with state-run media PTV Monday, October 5.
"So, inaasahan natin na hanggang sa matapos ang El Niño ay mayroon tayong sapat na supply ng bigas at iba pang commodity at wala na rin tayong inaasahan na mga mabilisang paggalaw sa pagkain dahil sa mga paghahanda na isinasagawa sa ngayon," he added.
Apart from palay, corn farms in rain-fed areas are seen to suffer major losses.
De Mesa also highlighted the importance of cold storage facilities in reducing post-harvest losses and import dependency.
"Sa pamamagitan nito ay bukod doon sa mai-ensure natin na siguradong quality iyong mga produkto natin ay ma-ensure din natin na iyong ating mga agricultural commodities ay mapapakinabangan at mapapababa talaga iyong ating mga losses," he stated.
Asked for a contingency plan should the situation worsen, the agriculture official stressed the need for unimpeded coordination with all stakeholders and their pending request before Congress for a supplemental budget.
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"Kailangan talaga iyong tuluy-tuloy na koordinasyon sa lahat ng stakeholders. And of course, mayroon din tayong pakiusap sa Kongreso ng additional na pondo para i-response natin sa El Niño at nakahanda naman ang DA para tugunan iyong mga hamon nitong El Niño, mas handa tayo sa ngayon," he said.
For now, De Mesa assured that there is enough budget under the National Rice Program along with the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund and the additional P6.2 billion pesos for the UPLIFT program.
Part of the budget will be used to procure fertilizers for areas that are not expected to greatly suffer the effects of El Niño but have enough irrigation to increase productivity, fuel assistance to farmers and fisherfolk with machinery and direct financial assistance to those who will be hardly hit by the effects of the phenomenon.
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