The national government is preparing measures to mitigate the effects that the La Niña phenomenon may bring to many parts of the country by the third quarter of the year through early 2025.
Presidential Communications Office Assistant Sec. Joey Villarama, in a media briefing on Wednesday evening, said some interventions have been identified relative to the marching orders of President Marcos Jr.
“More than the El Niño, the Department of Agriculture has said many times they are dreading La Niña more,” Villarama said.
He said La Niña brings more damage to agriculture due to severe flooding, making recovery more difficult for the agriculture sector.
Villarama said El Niño damage in the country, where some 71 percent of the total affected areas of about 190,000 hectares of agricultural land, can still be recovered.
But according to the DA, once these areas are flooded and submerged, there is little chance of recovery, the official added.
Villarama said some of the preparations laid out by the DA include teaching farmers about the alternate wetting and drying techniques, rehabilitation of farmlands and aquaculture ponds, implementation of an integrated water management system, establishment of water impounding facilities, and propagating flood tolerance variants of seeds and crops.
The state weather bureau predicted that La Niña may hit the country by September this year through early 2025, but said it hopes for only a “weak occurrence”. (Judy F. Partlow/PNA)
