In Bohol, cloud seeding begins to save farms

TAGBILARAN CITY, BOHOL, Philippines — Bohol has launched cloud-seeding operations to help farmers cope with drought caused by the El Niño phenomenon, as initial agricultural damage in the province approaches P300 million.

The aircraft conducted its first cloud-seeding flight on Monday, followed by a second operation on Tuesday, as the provincial government intensified efforts to mitigate the impact of prolonged dry conditions on farmers and crops.

Assistant provincial agriculturist Larry Pamugas said the technical working group (TWG) met on Oct. 19 to discuss operational updates and assess the worsening damage to the province’s agricultural sector.

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READ: Cloud seeding starts in Negros amid dry spell

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The provincial government has allocated P5 million from its calamity fund to cover about 31 hours of cloud-seeding flights. Additional funding is expected from the Department of Agriculture through the Bureau of Soils and Water Management to support succeeding operations.

The cloud-seeding activities will prioritize major dams and agricultural areas that depend heavily on water for irrigation.

Recent rains have brought some relief, but the rainfall has been insufficient to save crops affected by the El Niño-induced drought.

Pamugas said cloud seeding is expected to benefit not only rice farmers but also other crop growers and the broader agricultural sector in Bohol.

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However, succeeding flights will depend on favorable weather conditions and recommendations from the TWG based on actual weather monitoring.

Prior to the operation, some 60 local technicians from local governments in the province were trained to do cloud spotting and rain monitoring, activities that support the cloud seeding effort.

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Losses

The cloud-seeding initiative comes as drought-related agricultural losses continue to mount across the province.

According to the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Information System, initial agricultural damage in 29 of Bohol’s 48 towns and cities reached P291,963,049.40 as of Oct. 15.

The drought has affected 10,812 farmers, with authorities still awaiting damage reports from other local governments.

Carmen town recorded the highest agricultural losses at P110.7 million, accounting for about 38 percent of the province’s reported damage.

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Rice crops suffered the heaviest losses, with damage estimated at P281.09 million across 3,920.77 hectares. /cb