The strong El Niño has inflicted P6.87 billion in agricultural damage across the country, hitting more than 223,000 farmers and adding pressure on farm production as the weather phenomenon is forecast to intensify through the end of the year.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) said Saturday that losses have been reported across rice, corn, cassava, high-value crops, livestock and poultry, covering 249,028 hectares of agricultural land.

The dry spell has wiped out an estimated 163,812 metric tons (MT) of agricultural production so far, based on field assessments from 14 regions. The figures remain subject to validation.

Corn has taken a particularly heavy hit, with production losses reaching 126,883 MT, equivalent to about 1.44 percent of the government’s 8.80-million-MT production target for 2026.

Rice losses stood at 25,196 MT, or about 0.12 percent of the country’s 20.29-million-MT production target this year.

While the losses remain relatively small against nationwide production targets, the damage underscores growing risks to farm output as El Niño strengthens and potentially stretches into the next planting cycles.

According to the latest DOST-PAGASA outlook cited by the DA, a strong El Niño is already present in the tropical Pacific, with most models expecting the phenomenon to persist through the first half of 2027 and reach a very strong state by the end of the year.

The DA has so far deployed P10.96 billion worth of interventions to cushion the impact on farmers, exceeding the value of agricultural damage reported to date.

Of the amount, P10.53 billion went to production support such as seeds, fertilizers, and soil conditioners, while the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. released P427.07 million in indemnification to 42,383 affected farmers.

The government has also installed 338 water pumps across several regions, distributed 23,459 native chickens, and conducted cloud-seeding operations in agricultural and watershed areas in Cagayan Valley, including Magat Dam.

Water supply conditions at major dams remain generally stable, with reservoirs staying above their respective low-water levels. Most are also above their operational rule curves following recoveries since around midyear.

Pantabangan Dam, however, remained 8.72 meters below its target level, while San Roque Dam has exceeded its normal high-water level.

The DA said it is continuing to monitor weather and irrigation conditions, validate vulnerable agricultural areas, and identify additional interventions as El Niño progresses.