A non-governmental organization urged the administration of President-elect Rodrigo R. Duterte to give farmers flood-tolerant and early maturing rice varieties to help them cope with La Niña.
Rice Watch and Action Network (R1) asked Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol to provide production support for rice farmers, who have yet to fully recover the losses they incurred due to El Niño.
“We do not want to have another calamity from La Niña, simply because the government failed to do its job of providing the farmers with the needed production support,” R1 Lead Convenor Aurora Regalado said in a statement.
“The farmers have not yet recovered from the drought with their crops and livestock practically wiped out and leaving them with nothing and their families hungry,” Regalado added.
R1 noted that among the flood-resistant rice varieties being used now are RC18, Mindanao, Blondie red and Bulaw black rice. The other certified seeds that may be used to mitigate the impact of heavy rains and flooding are RC112, RC360 and RC222.
Regalado urged Piñol to distribute flood-resistant and early maturing seed varieties and to procure these materials from farmers’ groups.
“The government can encourage farmers to grow seeds that are adapted to the possible impact of La Niña. From our experience, farmers can deliver when it is necessary, because this can be an additional source of income for them,” she said.
R1 warned that La Niña is threatening the Philippines, and that Filipino farmers “have seen the worst because of delayed government action on the drought they just experienced.”
Citing majority of international climate models, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration projected that La Niña would hit the country in the second half of the year.
A La Niña event is characterized by a persistent cooler than -0.5 degree Celsius sea surface temperature anomalies over the tropical Pacific.
Meanwhile, R1 said it distributed organic palay seeds, bokashi organic fertilizer and organic pesticide Korean Natural Farming plant juices to farmers in select municipalities in Sarangani, Sultan Kudarat and North Cotabato. The group was supported by Greenpeace and Christian Aid.
R1 said Sarangani, Sultan Kudarat and North Cotabato were among the provinces that were heavily affected by El Niño.