The Department of Agriculture (DA-6) is gearing up to mitigate the possible adverse effects of El Niño on crops in Western Visayas.

Engineer Jose Albert Barrogo, DA-6 OIC regional executive director, said they have come up with mitigating measures against the weather phenomenon.

“It would be a big problem in the region once El Niño hits us. That’s why we will be convening our regional technical working group to issue planting calendar advisories for the LGUs (local government units) to adjust to the climate change,” he told reporters.

Barrogo told farmers “to conduct early planting, especially in areas that are irrigated.” The planting season in the region usually begins in May or June.

He also appealed to LGUs to extend help to farmers who wish to plant “cash crops” such as corn and watermelon this the summer season.

“Sa pag decreased sang budget, ang 68,000 hectares naton nga ginatagaan (highbreed seeds) assistance, nahimo na lang 2,000 plus hectares, which is inevitable man sya because sa pagdecrease man sang budget, so dira na naton tani ma-tap ang LGUs,” said Barrogo.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) earlier upgraded its monitoring of oceanic temperatures to an El Niño Watch, which indicated that there is a high chance that El Niño would develop in the next six months.

“El Niño will likely develop in the July-August-September (JAS) 2023 season and may persist until 2024. With this development, the Pagasa ENSO Alert and Warning System is now raised to El Niño Watch,” it said.

According to the state weather bureau, El Niño is characterized by unusually warmer than average sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific (CEEP). When conditions are favorable for the development of El Niño within the next six months and the probability is 55% or more, an El Niño Watch is issued.

Meanwhile, the National Irrigation Administration (NIA-6) will implement an alternate wetting and drying when the irrigation opens in May to prevent wasteful use of water.

NIA-6 public relations officer Danielle Pijuan said that it’s important to have an early or scheduled release of water from the irrigation, noting that the water used by farmers in the region is mostly dependent on them.IMT