ILOILO CITY – In Foreseeing that the country would experience below-average rainfall as a result of El Niño, the Department of Agriculture (DA) Regional Field Unit 6, here has created the El Nino Task Force.
DA Regional Director Larry Nacionales said the task force was created to accomplish the agency’s program to increase crop production and boost farmers’ income during dry spells.
The task force will implement the DA’s El Niño Mitigation Program to ward off the effects of the phenomenon to the crop, livestock and fishery sectors. It will focus on 23 "highly vulnerable" and 24 "moderately vulnerable" areas in the country. The attack is expected to last till early this year.
In Western Visayas, the provinces of Iloilo, Capiz, and Negros Occidental are among the areas considered highly vulnerable to the El Niño phenomenon, while the rest of the provinces are moderately vulnerable.
The DA also identified the rice and corn sectors as two of the most vulnerable crops.
In order to prevent substantial damages to production in the region, mitigation measures are easily carried out. The assistance include instal-lation of shallow tube wells, rain pumps and drip irrigation systems; cons-truction of small water-impounding projects; subsidies for certified or drought resistant seeds for rice and vegetables; and the distribution of animal stocks, biologics and drugs for livestock growers.
These measures will provide alternative economic opportunities for the vulnerable sectors to increase their income.
The DA is closely monitoring affected areas for the remaining months of the dry season. Continuous information campaign is also done through print media and the DA television and radio programs to reach out more affected sectors. /MP
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