In a report the DA released yesterday, a total of 134,321 metric tons (MT) of crops have been affected as of Mar. 7 by the dry spell. The El Niño has damaged a total area of 91,027 hectares tilled by some 62,267 farmers. The El Niño is a phenomenon triggered by the unusual warming of the Pacific Ocean. Rice crop areas were hit the hardest, with total production loss valued at P1.191 billion. Damage to corn and high-value crops was valued at P700.944 million and P8.092 million, respectively. The livestock sector has reached P11,477 million in damage. On provinces, Region XII recorded the largest crop damage valued at P639.016 million. This was followed by Region X and VI with crops hit by the El Niño reaching P358.403 million and P356.560 million, respectively. The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) has warned as early as last year that the current El Niño can last longer than what occurred from 1997-1998. In its El Niño Advisory No. 13 posted on its Web site on Tuesday, PAGASA said that “climate models suggest gradual weakening of El Niño” until May. Earlier, DA Secretary Proceso J. Alcala said the agency aims for rice production to reach at least 18 million MT this year. In January, the Philippine Statistics Authority projected that “based on standing crops,” rice production in the first quarter could decline by 4.98% to 4.15 million MT, from the 4.37-million-MT output in the same period of 2015. To address the impacts of El Niño, the government has allotted P979.90 million through the General Appropriations Act of 2016, though the DA is seeking an additional P2.11 billion. As part of its interventions, the government has provided hybrid seed varieties, which can boost average yields by 20%-35%, and conducted cloud seeding operations to hard-hit areas. From Jan. 12 to Mar. 6, the DA has conducted 146 cloud seeding sorties totalling 184 hours, with a 68% success rate in prompting light to intense rainfall. Source - bworldonline.com