THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said crop damage due to El Niño fell within the DA’s projections.
“Most of the affected crops were only partially damaged,” Agriculture Assistant Secretary and Spokesperson Arnel V. de Mesa added in a briefing on Monday.
In its final El Niño bulletin, the DA reported that overall crop damage was P15.3 billion, with lost volume tallied at 784,344 metric tons (MT).
According to the report, partially damaged crops with a chance for recovery accounted for 68% of the affected farmland of 270,855 hectares.
Mr. De Mesa added that only a third of the rice damage was classified as a total writeoff.
“Most of the damage was partial and recoverable. Those suffering total damage was about one-third corresponding with the loss estimates given by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA),” he said.
He added that the PSA had projected the lost rice crop due to El Niño at between 100,000 and 200,000 MT.
“We will have to wait for the final report from the PSA,” he said.
The DA is projecting palay (unmilled rice) production this year of 20.44 million MT (MMT) against 2023 production of 20.05 MMT.
As of the first half, palay production declined 5% year on year to 8.53 MMT.
“We are still hopeful of hitting the production target, because a 5% drop is still within the threshold projected for El Niño,” Mr. De Mesa said.
The DA had projected there would be a 10% drop in rice production due to El Niño.
El Niño began in June, with below-normal rainfall bringing drought and dry conditions throughout the country.
Last month, the government weather service, known as PAGASA (Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration), declared the end of El Niño though dry spells persisted in parts of the country. — Adrian H. Halili
