El Niño damage to agriculture climbs to P5.9 billion

Damage to agriculture caused by the El Niño weather phenomenon has reached P5.9 billion, government data showed on Thursday.

Rice is still the most affected crop, with a total value loss of P3.1 billion, followed by corn at P1.76 billion and high-value crops at P958 million, the Department of Agriculture said in Bernadette Reyes' report on ''24 Oras."

The three most affected regions are Mimaropa, the Cordillera Administrative Region, and Western Visayas.

DA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said the drought brought on by El Niño reduced rice output by 100,000 metric tons on an annual basis, or from 4.78 million MT to 4.68 million MT in the first quarter of 2024.

The impact would probably worsen in the second quarter, according to the Federation of Free Farmers Cooperatives.

The Philippines is expected to import rice to ensure a steady supply, the report said.

The El Niño phenomenon is characterized by the abnormal warming of sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, leading to below-normal rainfall.

Last week, the government's Task Force El Niño said at least 103 cities and municipalities across the country had been affected by El Niño. — VBL, GMA Integrated News