“We are better prepared for it now than in 2024,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel told the media last week regarding the El Nino phenomenon fully impacting the country in the latter part of 2026.
“Basta handa tayo sa El Niño although it is an act of God and we don’t know its actual effects,” he said, adding that the government is prepared with appropriate interventions, including crop insurance and hardy seeds that need less water for the next cropping seasons.
Citing expert analysis, the phenomena associated with drought would start by the latter part of 2026 and extend up to 2027 with its major effect on the harvest of early next year.
The DA chief said the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is also preparing additional funding for the Presidential Assistance for Farmers and Fisherfolks because it would be the fastest response to a crisis in the agriculture sector, given direct to legitimate farmers and fisherfolks so they could immediately recover.
Aside from the weather phenomenon, the high cost of fertilizer is also tagged as one of the challenges faced by farmers in the latter part of the year and early months of 2027.
“The directive to DA is to do whatever it takes to mitigate the effects of El Nino on agricultural production by distributing cold storages, solar irrigation and solar powered deep and other interventions well pumps for farming areas,” Sec, Tiu Laurel disclosed.
He encouraged farmers and fisherfolks who use motorized equipment in their farms and in fishing to register with Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) and Fishery Registration System (Fish-R) to be eligible for the Presidential Assistance for Farmers and Fisherfolk Program (PAFFP).
Upon instruction of the President, the DA chief said, he has going around the country to consult farmers and fisherfolk on what they need so that they can be addressed in three months’ time.
Early this year Malacanang provided additional funding of P1.6 billion for solar irrigation, part of which will go to Catanduanes, he bared.
“We’re hoping na madagdagan pa kasi mabilis ito maimplement, mabilis maikabit para maihabol natin before the end of this year,” he stated.
He also cited the Small Water Impounding Project (SWIP) and deep well irrigation system that would be distributed along with solar powered water pumps to draw water from nearby rivers.
“With fisherfolks expecting more fishing bancas from DA, we are asking BFAR to design steel-hulled motorized bancas that would be able to go farther out into the ocean to catch more fish and accommodate a larger volume of fish catch, along with implementation of solar powered ice plants,” Tiu Laurel told the local media.
He announced that Malacanang has added P2 billion to DA fuel subsidy to be divided by farmers and fisherfolks using motorized equipment but the total number of registered fisherfolks with motorized banca is only about 399,000 nationwide so there is a need to encouraged farmers and fisherfolk to register.
On the other hand, he said that the Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) Program that provides livelihood support for farmers requires continuous implementation in order to increase livelihood opportunities.
Likewise, he cited the importance of establishing a cold storage for Catanduanes as the DA is considering how to move agricultural products out of Catanduanes to the mainland as a way to increase farmgate prices for local produce.
He particularly mentioned “sili” which he said is sold here for only P50 per kilo while the same costs P250 per kilo in Metro Manila.
The DA secretary also revealed that an inspection of local markets led to the discovery that 10 rice retailers are selling rice in excess of the price cap.
He reminded rice retailers that the price cap on imported rice is in effect and violators will be charged accordingly.
On the other hand, he asked retailers to promote locally-produced rice, which are not included in the price cap.
Malacanang recently issued Executive Order No. 118 imposing a P50-per-kilo cap on 5 percent broken imported rice for 30 days “to address unjustified price increases, prevent market abuse, and ensure the availability of affordable rice while maintaining market stability.”
The DA chief also noted that while coconut and other crops in Catanduanes have recovered from the effects of super typhoon Uwan, the abaca industry has yet to do so, with production expected to drop.
He urged farmers to resort to value adding to boost their incomes.
Tiu Laurel stated that the government is considering a fuel subsidy for the agricultural transport system as the added cost of higher fuel prices resulted to lower buying price of abaca.