DA seeks P62-B El Niño mitigation plan

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The Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Monday that it was proposing a P61.99-billion action plan to mitigate the impact of El Niño on the country’s food supply and livelihoods.

In a statement, the DA said the proposed interventions aim to minimize agricultural production losses and help farmers and fisherfolk cope with the effects of the climate phenomenon.

“We need to plan ahead and ensure farmers have the support they need to cope with a potentially severe El Niño, including access to drought-tolerant rice varieties and other appropriate inputs,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said.

“Early preparation is crucial to minimizing production losses and protecting farmers’ livelihoods and the country’s food supply,” he added.

The proposed spending package includes P6.2 billion already released under the government’s Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport (UPLIFT) Program, the DA said.

However, the department noted that P371 million worth of proposed interventions remained unfunded.

These include cloud seeding operations (CSOs) and measures to manage infestations of red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI), which affects sugarcane production, the DA said.

The department also plans to coordinate with other government agencies on additional El Niño interventions. These include a cash-for-work program with the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Trabahong-Dagat and Blue Enterprise Development Program with the Department of Labor and Employment.

The DA said it has begun releasing fuel subsidies to fisherfolk, while the distribution of subsidies to farmers using mechanized equipment is targeted to begin in the last week of October or in November.— MCG, GMA News

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