President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday assured the public that there are still enough rice supplies in the Philippines amid the impact of the El Niño phenomenon on the agriculture sector.
In a media interview in Occidental Mindoro, Marcos said the government is well-prepared for this phenomenon on the back of stable rice reserves in the country.
"Well, if we are talking about rice, we have enough supply. There is no need for people to worry. In fact, those irrigated areas have increased their harvest," Marcos said.
However, the president acknowledged the struggles faced by non-irrigated areas, noting that only about 50 percent of the agricultural lands benefit from irrigation.
El Niño-related agricultural loss has already reached P1.2 billion, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said.
In particular, Marcos said that only a minimal portion of the irrigated lands are affected such as in places in Occidental Mindoro.
To further prevent the impact on non-irrigated areas, Marcos detailed the government's initiatives.
"We are speeding up the installation of solar pumps and also the dams planned by the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), so that we can expand our water supply and increase our irrigable land because as long as it's irrigated, even with El Niño, it's still possible," Marcos said.
Furthermore, the president highlighted the introduction of numerous post-harvest facilities designed to minimize logistical costs and boost farmers' incomes.
"It's still possible, and then we have given many, and we are bringing in many post-harvest facilities so that instead of milling the rice far away and transporting it to different places, we can do it here," Marcos said.
NIA said that three new long-arm backhoes and one wheel-type backhoe have been deployed to all impacted locations in the province that require emergency canal clearing and desilting operations as part of its support to El Niño-stricken regions.
Along with 68 solar, diesel and water-powered pumps constructed to irrigate 274 hectares of farmlands, farmers impacted by the drought also received about 1,200 liters of diesel fuel to help with the fuel requirement for diesel-powered water pumps.
