ILOILO – The provincial government, through the Provincial Agriculture Office (PAO), is continuously monitoring the effects brought by the dry season on agriculture.
PAO chief Dr. Ildefonso Toledo said as of this week, his office has not yet received any reports of damage, particularly to vegetables and rice, from the municipal agriculture offices of 43 towns, including Passi City.
“So far, wala pa gid may nagsulod sa amon, pero gina-monitor namon continuously,” Toledo told Panay News.
Many farmers, according to Toledo, did not venture into planting rice this quarter, projecting that crops will likely not survive during the summer, which will consequently cost them.
A sufficient water supply is needed to grow rice, and a lower supply during the dry season could result in poor quality or even kill the crop.
What are the alternatives?
According to Toledo, farmers could venture into other high-value crops that need less water to grow.
For example, Miag-ao, Igbaras and some parts of Oton, Alimodian, and Cabatuan ventured into planting bulb onions and garlic. Farmers saw that they could earn well from onions, especially when their price reached P300 to P500.
Toledo also received reports that farmers from Banate, Barotac Nuevo and Dumangas towns also ventured into watermelon planting.
The PAO will continue to provide technical assistance like training and distributing seedlings for high-value crops to farmers.
It would also be better for farmers to monitor the weather advisory of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) to plan their farming.
Earlier, PAGASA said El Niño would likely hit the country in the latter part of this year and persist until 2024, although no official declaration has been released./PN
