The Albay Provincial Agriculture Office (APAO) will conduct an orientation and intensified awareness campaign on the El Niño phenomenon for over 50,000 farmers following the alert issued by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) on its adverse effects.

Lorena Quising, Albay provincial information officer, on Monday said the APAO will conduct a caravan as an initial mitigation measure against the El Niño.

“The caravan will be conducted per local government unit (LGU) this May. It will be attended by more than 50,000 farmers from the 15 municipalities and three cities of Albay. The APAO wants our farmers to be equipped with the right information and strengthen their capability learning,” Quising said in an interview.

Aside from the adverse effect of El Niño on rice and corn, she said APAO will also discuss the management of other major high-value crops, pests and diseases during the dry spell.

The province partnered with the Department of Agriculture (DA), the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC), the city or municipal agriculture office in every local government unit (LGU) and National Irrigation Administration in drafting its mitigation measures to help farmers in case the threat of El Niño persists and affects the irrigation system in Albay.

“Mas maray dapat (It is better to have) rigid information dissemination, to let them know what to do and what will happen during the long run weather disturbance. Since it is a first step, more interventions will be introduced to our farmers by the APAO. Governor Edcel Grex Lagman is doing its best to assure the public that every unit in the provincial office is doing something to ensure that we are preparing for the possible impact of El Nino in the province,” she said.

Aside from the caravan and information campaign, APAO also encourages farmers to harvest crops earlier to reduce the effect of high temperature. (PNA)