Farmers in Antipas town, North Cotabato harvest rice amid a severe El Niño phenomenon in this photo taken on April 5, 2016. MindaNews file photo by TOTO LOZANO
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 15 March) – The Department of Agriculture (DA) in Region 12 (Soccksargen) has not yet recorded any damage to agricultural crops in the region amid the worsening dry weather in the past several weeks.
John B. Pacual, acting DA-12 Regional Executive Director, said they have not received any report from local government units (LGUs) as of Thursday regarding crop damages and related problems, and none have so far submitted requests for assistance due to the impact of the dry weather.
Parts of Soccksargen have been experiencing little to no rainfall and dry weather with intense heat in the past weeks even as the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration declared that the prevailing dry spell or El Nino Phenomenon in the country has already started to weaken.
But citing their monitoring, Pascual said the region has not experienced any severe impact brought about by the El Nino.
“As we’re seeing right now, we’re expecting that it will still hit us but the impact might not be as intense compared to the previous years,” he said in a media forum here.
Pascual said the planting of corn and other crops is ongoing in some areas that have stable irrigation, among them localities situated near the Liguasan Marsh.
He said they also continue to distribute palay and corn seeds to qualified farmers and associations through various programs.
The official assured that they have prepared mitigation measures and are ready to implement the necessary interventions once the current situation worsens.
He said among the early interventions they implemented was the enhancement of the region’s irrigation systems, diversion dams, irrigation canals and small water impounding projects.
Pacual said they advised farmers in identified vulnerable areas to plant drought-resistant crops like mungbean, potatoes and camote, and provided some planting materials.
The official said they expect that almost all areas of the region could be affected if the dry weather continues to intensify.
Soccsaksargen comprises the provinces of South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani, and the cities of General Santos, Koronadal, Tacurong and Kidapawan.
“But based on historical data, the areas that are usually hit first are Sarangani and General Santos,” he said.
Pascual assured that they have been closely coordinating with the municipal and city agriculture offices and mobilized farm technicians to monitor possible damages caused by the dry weather.“
We’re ready to provide the necessary assistance, we are just waiting for the reports from the affected LGUs,” he added. (Allen V. Estabillo/MindaNews)
