The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Thursday said it will double support in select areas to cushion the impact of the looming super El Niño in the Philippines.

In an interview on the sidelines of the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines’ (EJAP) food security forum, DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said they will focus on palay (unhusked rice) areas less susceptible to extreme heat.

This comes as the “agricultural drought” is expected to hit major rice-producing regions during peak El Niño.

“But there are areas na mas maraming tubig than usual, doon tayo magdo-double down ngayon ng (which has more water than the usual, that’s where we will double down on our) interventions,” Tiu Laurel said.

These areas include palay plantations in southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

“More seeds per hectare, more fertilizer support para ‘yung deficit dito sa isang area, i-increase sa kabila (so that the deficit in some areas will be offset by the other),” Tiu Laurel said.

For regions which may be affected by the lack of soil moisture due to agricultural drought, the agriculture chief said support to farmers is crucial.

“Those areas we just have to support the farmers, whatever way possible – that’s the whole of government and local government units,” Tiu Laurel said.

These include rice farms in the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon and Western Mindoro, among others.

To date, the DA has projected about 700,000 metric tons (MT) of potential production losses in palay output due to strong El Niño, possible weather disturbances and the effects of the recent global fuel and fertilizer price spikes.

This is slightly higher than the 500,000 MT to 600,000 MT historical average production losses in palay harvest per year. (PNA)