THE Department of Agriculture (DA) is proposing a P61.99-billion action plan to protect food production, farmers and rural livelihood from effects of a potentially severe El Niño, the agency said on Monday.
“We need to plan ahead and ensure farmers have the support they need to cope with El Niño, including access to drought-tolerant rice varieties and other appropriate inputs,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said.
The plan was presented after the National El Niño Task Force meeting led by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Malacañang last week.
Of the total, P6.2 billion has already been released under the government’s Uplift Program early last month. About P371 million worth of interventions remain unfunded, including cloud seeding operations and measures to control the red-striped soft scale insect affecting sugarcane.
With this, the DA was ordered by President Marcos to submit a comprehensive accounting of cloud seeding operations, identifying areas covered and the corresponding budget allocations.
The president also instructed the department to explore the importation of drought-resistant rice seeds from India for possible distribution to farmers.
Aside from production support, President Marcos also ordered the agency to intensify market monitoring to prevent profiteering during El Niño and mount a location-specific information campaign airing at least two minutes every hour to inform farmers, fisherfolk and the public about government interventions and how to access assistance.
The DA was also tasked to prepare a priority list of beneficiaries to ensure aid reaches vulnerable communities quickly and fairly. All government agencies were told to conserve energy and water and to fast-track procurement and possible budget realignment, subject to existing rules.
Other livelihood measures are also in place, including the DSWD’s Project LAWA and Binhi, a cash-for-work program with technical support from the DA’s bureaus on plant industry, fisheries, and soil and water management.
Meanwhile, the Department of Labor and Employment announced the forthcoming launch, in partnership with the DA, of the Trabahong-Dagat and Blue Enterprise Development Program for potentially affected fisherfolk.
Recently, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) warned that El Niño may intensify into a very strong one by end-2026 and persist until the first half of 2027.
This is expected to bring below-normal rainfall, prolonged dry spells, reduced water supply, and extreme heat in parts of the country.
Tiu Laurel stressed that early preparation is crucial to minimizing production losses and protecting farmers’ livelihoods and the country’s food supply.
