Food supply sufficient for Super El Niño, P45-B aid coming for farmers – DA

UPLAND. Farmers harvest potatoes at a farm in Atok, Benguet on March 31, 2026.

REUTERS

More funds are coming next year, when the effects of El Niño are expected to worsen

AT A GLANCE

• The Department of Agriculture assures the public of sufficient food supply amid Super El Niño, with a P45 billion fund for fertilizer assistance.
• Current food supply days are reported as 75 days for rice, 125 days for chicken, 170 days for pork, and 90 days for corn, with no immediate cause for panic.
• Progressive lawmakers are calling for an investigation into the impact of Super El Niño on agriculture, while additional funds and preparations are being made for the anticipated worsening effects next year.

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MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Agriculture (DA) assured the public that the food supply is sufficient to tide over the effects of Super El Niño, and that it has secured P45 billion in fertilizer assistance for farmers and fisherfolk.

“[I]n general, I would just like to state that we are maintaining a healthy number of days of food sufficiency,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said during a Malacañang briefing on Monday, October 5.

Tiu Laurel gave a breakdown of the current supply as of Monday:

• Rice: 75 days
• Chicken: 125 days
• Pork: 170 days
• Corn: 90 days

“If we are able to maintain this, there’s no reason to panic actually,” said Tiu Laurel. The agriculture chief said he has directed the National Food Authority to fill their warehouses with local rice. Importations will be government’s “last resort.”

Progressive lawmakers in the House of Representatives are seeking an investigation into the impact of Super El Niño to farmers, fisherfolk, and the government’s preparations to protect the hardest-hit sectors.

Billions of pesos are earmarked for the agriculture sector. The DA now has P6.2 billion out of their P45-billion fund request to provide fuel and fertilizer aid. Another P10 billion from this request would be for solar irrigations, solar pumps, solar aerators, and additional fertilizer.

More funds are coming next year, when the effects of El Niño are expected to worsen.

“For 2027, we have added P10 billion through the help of Congress for the presidential assistance for farmers and fisherfolk in anticipation of the problems from El Niño,” said Tiu Laurel in a mix of Filipino and English.

The government has advised the public against hoarding food products. The environment department said there is no cause yet to declare a climate emergency but that they are directed to “prepare for the worst-case scenario.” – Rappler.com