The National Food Authority in Negros Oriental assured their residents of enough rice inventory amid the continuing dry spell in the province.

NFA-Negros Oriental manager Benilda Fidel said in a forum on Tuesday that currently, the agency has secured 10,000 bags of rice inventory in their warehouses in Guihulngan City, Dumaguete City, and Siquijor, and that they are expecting another 10,000 bags of grain supply from Region 6 (Western Visayas) to be allocated as safety stock for the El Niño phenomenon.

“We will not go hungry in a time of calamities, and besides, we are also a corn-producing province,” she said, stressing that even though Negros Oriental is not rice-sufficient, their neighboring provinces have pledged rice supply assistance when needed.

Meanwhile, the National Irrigation Administration and Metro Dumaguete Water said there is enough water supply for their local farmers and residents. The Department of Agriculture also said they have been providing seeds and fertilizers to the affected farmers due to the drought.

Provincial Agriculture Officer Emmanuel Caduyac, on the other hand, said no crops were damaged or there were ground cracks in their farmlands, assuring the public that the government is closely monitoring situations in plantations and is prepared to respond anytime in a crisis occurrence brought on by the weather phenomenon.