AGENCIES under the Department of Agriculture (DA) were directed to revise their response actions in dealing with the effects of El Niño in a bid to minimize the drought’s impact on food security and prices.
“The lessons we learned from the powerful El Niño episode that ended in mid-2024 should help us respond better to the climate challenge we now face,” said Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. in a statement on Sunday, August 30.
The DA chief added they are working on providing immediate assistance to local producers and crafting pre-emptive measures to secure food supply before the weather phenomenon could lead to shortages and higher prices.
The Monetary Board of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) earlier decided to raise rates for the third straight meeting, warning that although headline inflation has eased, oil prices remain volatile and the severe El Niño could bring consumer prices even higher.
The central bank also revised its inflation outlook for 2027 to 5.4%, up from 4.5% in June, as it said the impact of El Niño will be more pronounced in the fourth quarter.
As part of its preparation for El Niño, the DA is seeking to strengthen irrigation, adjusting planting schedules, securing inputs, monitoring inventories, and preparing import and market interventions where necessary.
The DA chief also outlined a plan to relocate farming to less-impacted areas, scale up cloud seeding and solar-powered irrigation, and optimize water usage.
“We have to produce more where the impact of El Niño will be less severe, increase the water available to farmers, and use every drop wisely through practices such as alternate wetting and drying and planting crops that require less water,” said Tiu Laurel.
The DA earlier warned the potential impact of El Niño could severely affect several regions in the country, with the prolonged dry spell expected to reduce crop yields and hurt farmers.
Further, the Agriculture department said that the country’s palay production is expected to decline in the third quarter of 2026 due to the effects of the developing El Niño. (GMA News)
