The Department of Agriculture (DA) will reactivate the inter-agency El Niño Task Force that will mitigate the potential impacts of the upcoming El Niño season, which is forecasted to begin from July to September this year.
In a statement on Tuesday, DA said the reactivation was ordered by President and Agriculture Secretary Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr.
Apart from the reactivation, the agriculture department also unveiled the Marcos admin's El Niño Mitigation and Adaptation 2023 Plan.
Under the said plan, more water infrastructure such as hydroelectric power plants, flood control projects, and irrigation systems will be created.
"An overall plan to change the way water supply is acquired will also be undertaken," it added.
Alongside this, appropriate water management will be implemented to help vulnerable areas while rehabilitation will be executed in irrecoverable areas.
"The DA will likewise maximize the production in non-threatened areas. A massive information dissemination across locations will also be undertaken," it added.
During the dry season, DA said it encourages farmers to use alternate wetting and drying (AWD) methods.
"Through this technology, farmers may reduce the use of irrigation water without sacrificing the yield. Under AWD, irrigation water is applied a few days after the ponded water has been used up," it explained.
Moreover, the agriculture department said a cloud seeding operation will be conducted to increase rainfall.
Furthermore, DA stated that it will impose an irrigation scheduling system and other water-saving practices, adding that farm production-related machinery equipment will also be distributed.
Based on the forecast by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) as of March, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, CARAGA Administrative Region, and CALABARZON, particularly Quezon province will be the most hit regions during the dry season.
