AGRICULTURAL damage due to the effects of El Niño has so far reached more than P8 billion and has affected almost 300,000 farmers, the Department of Agriculture’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Operations Center said on Wednesday.
In a bulletin posted on its Facebook page, DA-DRRM said damages and losses in rice, corn, cassava, high-value crops, livestock and poultry had reached P8.57 billion, affecting 288,058 farmers and covering 291,154 hectares of agricultural land with 220,307 metric tons of production lost.
The affected areas cover the Cordillera, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Negros Island, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Davao, Soccsksargen, and Caraga regions.
For rice, losses were 71,408 metric tons (MT) or 0.73 percent of the 9.7 million MT target for second semester 2026, with a value loss at P2.95 billion. Damage in rice has also affected 112,852 hectares of farmland.
Meanwhile, corn losses were 132,290 MT or 1.50 percent of the 8.8 million MT target for 2026 with damages totaling to P5 billion and affecting 173,068 hectares of farmland.
Cassava’s losses reached 159 metric tons for a value of P5 million and 143 hectares of farmland destroyed.
For livestock and poultry, 6,690 animals (swine, carabao, duck, chicken, goat, cattle, turkey, and goose) were affected with a value loss at P37.75 million.
To cushion the impact, the agency said that they have released P11.34 billion in assistance to farmers affected.
This includes P10.81 billion in production support such as seeds, fertilizers and soil conditioners, P569.95 million in crop insurance for 68,980 farmers, and 95,841 heads of livestock and poultry distributed to farmer groups.
The DA also conducted cloud seeding operations in Region 2, including Magat Dam, and Region 6, and installed 338 water pumps in Regions 2, 3, 4-A, 4-B, 5, 6 and 9.
According to the latest DOST-Pagasa El Niño Advisory released on Oct. 7, 2026, recent atmospheric and oceanic indicators show that a strong to very strong El Niño is present in the Tropical Pacific. Forecasts predict El Niño will continue until the first half of 2027 and may peak before the end of 2026.
The agency will continue its weather monitoring, field validation, data consolidation with NIA, PhilRice and BSWM, and Kadiwa operations to keep food accessible.
