With the onslaught of El Niño expected to prevail until the second quarter of the year, the Philippine agriculture sector has now suffered damages and losses valued at more than P151 million, the Department of Agriculture said on Thursday.

Based on their latest situation report, damage and losses have been reported amounting to P151.28 million, affecting 3,923 farmers, with an output volume loss of 6,618 metric tons on 3,291 hit hectares of rice farmlands, where 2,963 hectares, or 91.52%, have a chance of recovery and 328 hectares, or 8.48%, are unrecoverable.

Rice incurred the biggest damage and losses, affecting 2,971 hectares, of which 2,719 hectares, or 91.52%, have a chance of recovery and 252 hectares, or 8.48%, are lost.

The rice volume loss weighs 6,079 MT, which amounts to P141.24 million in damage.

Iloilo remains the area to be most hit, registering a value loss of between P100 and P200 million.

Negros Occidental, on the other hand, suffered a value loss between P10 and P100 million, and Zamboanga del Norte suffered a loss of not over P1 million.

Meanwhile, 320 hectares of corn farmlands were said to be El Nino-affected areas, while 244 hectares, or 76.08%, have a chance of recovery and 77 hectares, or 23.92%, are without.

The corn volume loss is 539 MT, valued at P10.04 million.

Antique registered the highest value loss of corn, ranging from P9 million to P12 million.

Most of the damage and losses in rice and corn are in the reproductive stage.

In Region 6, or Western Visayas, the regional situation reports that aside from the El Nino damages and losses on rice, pest infestation has also been observed, which is subject to validation.

Region 9, or Zamboanga Peninsula, generally experiences light or minimal rainfall, especially during the occurrence of LPA or shear lines. It was also observed that there was a reduction or insufficient water supply from the irrigation source of the Dansalan CIS in Labason, Zamboanga del Norte.

Meanwhile, an increased fall armyworm infestation was seen in Region 12, or Soccsksargen, particularly in South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat, affecting rice and corn areas.

The department said assessments in the affected areas are ongoing.

With this, the DA has taken interventions such as the provision of vegetable seeds to the affected farmers and the installation of shallow tube wells to validate drought-affected areas.

The affected farmers will also be endorsed to the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Labor and Employment to further secure additional assistance, including cash aid.

Moreover, actions taken by the government includes regular monitoring of weather conditions and actual ground situation, continuous dissemination of advisories and agro-meteorological information through provincial, municipal, and city agriculturists and report officers through Facebook and Messenger, and information on proper crop management during El Niño, including adjustment of planting schedules and optimizing fertilizer use, field validation of areas vulnerable to drought and dry spells, positioning of interventions for farmers to be affected, data analysis on planting and harvesting (rice and corn), sources of irrigation systems (dams, SWIP, SSIPs), as well as the status of irrigation facilities (operational, non-operational), joint area assessment before the conduct of cloud seeding operations by concerned DA operating units and national agencies, adoption of drought-resistant crop varieties during El Niño, and pest management on affected areas, in coordination with Regional Crop Protection Centers.