The Task Force El Niño said Sunday that the agriculture sector of Western Visayas and Zamboanga Peninsula has now suffered damages and losses valued at more than P151 million due to the ongoing El Niño.

In a radio interview, an official from the task force said that the two regions were hard hit by the effects of the weather phenomenon, which affected 4,000 farmers.

“The damage in the last report of the Department of Agriculture has reached P151.3 million. The bulk of that, about 93 percent, is rice, and the remaining 6 percent is corn,” said Task Force spokesperson and Presidential Communication Office Asec. Joel Villarama. “These are the crops that cannot be saved, that's why the Inter-Agency Task Force is focused on helping the farmers here.”

He said that the affected farmers will directly receive assistance from the DA and the Department of Social Welfare and Development, while the other involved government agencies provide alternative farming strategies such as alternate wetting and drying and quick turnaround.

Aside from the two regions, Villarama further noted that 41 provinces in the country are currently experiencing different levels of effects of El Niño, which are dry conditions, dry spells, and drought. He added that these numbers may increase after the government's reassessment.

Moreover, the task official said that assistance to farmers who will be affected by possible infestations on some farms during the season will be provided, including farm inputs.

"In the meantime, number one, financial aid will be given to the affected farmers. Then, they will be given an alternative source of income... I don't remember the figures, but they gave out domestic animals and livestock so that the farmers could have an alternative source of income. They will also provide heat tolerant and heat resistant seedlings," he added.

The weather state bureau PAGASA reported earlier that the number of provinces currently affected by the onslaught of El Niño is a decline from the January 21, 2024 assessment, wherein 50 provinces were recorded to be affected.

Provinces that are in dry conditions are Batangas, Laguna, Masbate, Oriental Mindoro, Antique, Biliran, Capiz, Cebu, Eastern Samar, Guimaras, Iloilo, Leyte, Negros Oriental, Samar Lanao del Norte, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi.

Dry spells, on the other hand, are now experienced in the provinces of Abra, Aurora, Bataan, Isabela, Metropolitan Manila, Occidental Mindoro, Quirino, Rizal, Zambales, and Negros Occidental, while drought currently creeps into the provinces of Apayao, Benguet, Cagayan, Cavite, Ifugao, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Kalinga, La Union, Mountain Province, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Palawan, and Pangasinan.

Villarama said the country is currently experiencing a strong and mature El Nino based on the weather briefing he received last Thursday, which is expected to persist until May.