Sagada's coffee industry suffers P16-M loss due to water shortage

BONTOC, Mountain Province — Sagada Mayor Felicito Dula said that their town suffer losses because of the lack of water supply that many parts of the country are experiencing.

According to the mayor, this can be attributed to the El Niño phenomenon felt by different areas not only in the Philippines but in the whole world. He said that although they have no actual count on the number of coffee trees that have withered, the estimate worth of said damaged trees is P16 million.

Dula said that the people should have harvested volumes of coffee beans by the month of November last year. He said the beans harvested are not enough to meet the demands for coffee products.

He also disclosed that the tourism industry was affected by the little supply of water. According to Dula, 30 percent of the total accommodation establishments of Sagada closed temporarily for days resulting to losses.

"Many of the establishments have no water and the prices of water deliveries are so high," he added.

The mayor said that the lack of water is because of the depletion of Sagada's water sources. "We are really feeling the impact of El Niño," he said.

Dula said that it is a relief for them that Sagada, unlike other places, is maintaining a cool temperature. He said that the town has a minimum temperature of 15 degrees to a maximum of 25 degrees Celsius. He said that they are still grateful for this as tourists continue to come because of the cool weather of Sagada.