DA: El Niño puts food supply under pressure

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) is updating its response plans for the developing El Niño as drought threatens domestic crop production and could put pressure on food supply and prices.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. has directed DA agencies to continuously adjust their plans as new weather, crop, water, and market data become available, the agency said.

The move comes after the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas warned that El Niño could fuel inflation, adding to concerns over food supply at a time when global rice markets remain exposed to weather disruptions and changes in trade policies.

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“The lessons we learned from the powerful El Niño episode that ended in mid-2024 should help us respond better to the climate challenge we now face,” Tiu Laurel said in a statement on Sunday.

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READ: El Niño may cut PH rice output by 700,000 metric tons, says DA

The DA chief said the agency is working on immediate assistance for local producers while also preparing measures to secure food supplies before weather disruptions lead to shortages and higher prices.

He added that the government also plans to shift production toward areas expected to be less affected by El Niño, expand cloud seeding and solar-powered irrigation, and improve water-use efficiency.

READ: Why PH must diversify diets amid El Niño and global shocks

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The measures include distributing drought-tolerant seeds, providing crop insurance indemnification and extending emergency financial assistance to vulnerable farmers.

“We have to produce more where the impact of El Niño will be less severe, increase the water available to farmers, and use every drop wisely through practices such as alternate wetting and drying and planting crops that require less water,” he said. /mcm