THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE and bureaus under it are preparing to ease the impact of El Niño on the f arm sector under a P1.7-billion intervention program.
“Although the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) foresees the El Niño attack to be a moderate one, the weather bureau has projected that it will last longer, this time until July,” Agriculture Undersecretary Bernie Fondevilla said in a statement.
El Nino is a weather pattern that results in dry spells.
Among the agencies that will implement mitigation measures are the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) and irrigators’ associations (IAs) in El Niño-affected areas; the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM), the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), and the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI); the National Food Authority (NFA); and the Food Terminal Inc. (FTI).
The department is using P1.7 billion out of its regular budget this year to bankroll the measures.
Of this amount, the DA is implementing intervention measures for the palay sector at a cost of P570 million, Fondevilla noted.
The DA will also set aside P613.7 million to carry out intervention schemes for the corn sector; another P411 million for the HVCC subsector; and P117.4 million more for fisheries.
“Such measures include scheduling the release of irrigation diversion equipment for the Angat Maasim River Irrigation System, which will be implemented by the DA and the NIA, and the linking of canals from the Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation System to the Angat-Maasim Dam covering 6,000 hectares in Bulacan, to avoid delays in the planting season,” he said.
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