MANILA – A ranking official of the Department of Agriculture said a state of calamity looms in one of the country’s major rice and corn producers in Luzon due to the adverse impact of the prolonged drought caused by the “El Nino” weather phenomenon.
Dr. Danilo Tumamao, the regional agriculture director for Cagayan Valley in the Northern Luzon highlands, disclosed that Isabela has emerged as the worst-hit province in the region as a result of El Nino.
Aside from Isabela, Cagayan Valley also includes the provinces of Nueva Vizcaya, Cagayan and Quirino, which are also major food producers and rich in other natural resources like gold and copper.
Tumamao said the long dry spell, which is the hallmark of the El Nino weather phenomenon, has already affected about 200,000 hectares of farmland, or 20 percent of the Isabela’s productive capacity.
Isabela is the country’s second biggest producer of rice, the staple food of the 92 million Filipinos, after Nueva Ecija province in Central Luzon, according to Tumamao.
But Isabela, he added, has the highest combined rice and corn production in the country. As such, he warned, its sharply reduced output could adversely affect the country’s demand for these two major food items especially this year.
“Our office would recommend the declaration of Isabela under a state of calamity since the damage from El Nino in the province is now nearing 20 percent,” Tumamao pointed out.
He issued the statement following reports that most local governments in the province, including Cauayan City, are set to declare a state of calamity to enable their officials to use their own emergency funds to help farmers cope with the worsening effects of the long dry spell.
At the same time, Tumamao warned that the multipurpose Magat Dam, also based in Isabela, one of the country’s major sources of power and irrigation, would shut down operations in two months if its water level continues to drop.to its critical level of 160 meters.
Last week, dam officials disclosed that Magat’s water level stood at 171 meters but the more worrisome aspect is its alarming drop because no rains have come.
Standing in sharp contrast to the problem in Isabela is the case of farmers in Southern Mindanao who said they have not been affected by El Nino.
Dr. Prisco Malabanan, the head of the agriculture department’s El Nino Task Force, said farmers in the region like Davao Oriental, Davao del Sur and Davao del Norte, have already planted rice and have retained enough water until the harvest season.
Following an interaction with the rice farmers in these provinces, Malabanan said: “They told me the region is not feeling the effects of El Nino as predicted by the weather bureau. In fact, they said they have been experiencing rains in the last two weeks.”
Records indicate that Southern Mindanao has a total of close to 50,000 hectares planted to rice. Of the total, 44,000 hectares are irrigated while the rest depend on rainfall.
The government earlier reactivated the task force to come up with a comprehensive and integrated action plan to address the problems caused by El Nino.
Agriculture officials have warned that crop and fishery losses could reach the equivalent of nearly $20 million if the effects of El Nino are not minimized.
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Natural calamity means natural disaster which is caused by nature. Every year many country falls victim to various natural calamities. They are flood, earthquakes & many other natural calamities. The effects of the natural calamities beggar description. They leave a vast trail of devastation. The affected people & animals suffer untold sufferings. They cause heavy damage to our life & properties. Houses are destroyed, cattle are washed away, crops are greatly damaged and trees are uprooted. Thousands of people and other animals remain without food for many days. The after effect of some natural calamities are more serious. Famine breaks out. Many people & animals die for want of food. The prices are all necessary things go up. Many dangerous diseases like cholera, typhoid and dysentery etc. break out in an epidemic form. By raising public awareness and taking necessary precautionary measures and steps natural calamities can be prevented. The government and all the conscious citizens should come forward with concerted efforts to prevent natural calamities.