EL Niño has cost the agriculture sector an estimated P2.68 billion—double the earlier P1.3 billion reported by the Department of Agriculture—and forced 16 areas to declare a state of calamity, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said on Wednesday.
Based on the report, the largest damage was in rice, worth P1.45 billion or more than half of the total damage reported.
In terms of the affected regions, the hardest hit was Region 12 or Soccsksargen, where agriculture damage reached P808.67 billion.
“An estimated P2.68 billion worth of damages to agriculture were reported in Regions Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Region 5, Region 6, Region 8, Region 12, and BARMM [Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao],” NDRRMC said. “Figures are subject to verification and validation of the Department of Agriculture.”
In response, the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) formulated a Roadmap for Addressing the Impact of El Niño (RAIN), similar to the one it created in 2015.
The road map focused on measures that aim to mitigate the impact of El Niño in food security, energy security, health and safety.
“Under food security, it targets the issue of reduced food production together with increasing food prices and decreased income of farmers and agricultural workers,” the report stated.
The Department of Agriculture, for its part, has monitored and coordinated with its units and the NDRRMC as well as the Pagasa and the National Irrigation Administration.
The DA also released P18.3 million for cloud-seeding operations.
Further, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said it has allocated P1.2 billion in standby resources.
This is composed of P147.3 million in standby funds in the DSWD Central Office and Field Offices; around 390,294 family food packs worth P139 million; and around P929 million worth of other food and nonfood items.
Based on NDRRMC estimates, a total of 71,909 families or 359,545 Filipinos were affected by the El Niño in North Cotabato province.
Some 79,044 farmers and 103,247.865 hectares of land were affected in Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas and Eastern Visayas. The most number of affected farmers were in Bicol at 23,487, while the largest tract of land was affected in Soccsksargen at 32,867.145 hectares.