DA eyes larger 2024 rice harvest despite El Niño

The Department of Agriculture (DA) said Sunday that more rice may be harvested this year compared to last year despite the El Niño phenomenon's effects on the country. 

Interviewed on Super Radyo dzBB, DA Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said they expected 20.4 million metric tons of rice to be harvested in 2024, compared to the 20.06 million metric tons reaped in 2023. 

“Inaasahan natin na mas malaki ang ating harvest ngayong taon. Kasi nga last year ay 20 [million metric tons], ngayon ay 20.4 [million metric tons]. Inaasahan natin ngayong wet season, mas mataas din ang ating inaasahang harvest,” the DA spokesperson said. 

“Of course, mas maganda na ang ating mga variety ngayon ng mga binhi at saka mga interventions natin,” he added. 

(This is because of our better seed varieties and also because of our interventions.) 

However, De Mesa noted that the country’s rice harvest slightly decreased during the first quarter of the year by 100,000 metric tons. 

“‘Yun ay napakaliit. Less than 1% [that is very small, only less than 1%],”  he said, adding that the loss can be “easily” augmented through importation. He said the country had already imported 1.6 million metric tons of rice. 

De Mesa was also confident that the Philippines’ rice supply was enough for now.

The recorded losses in agriculture caused by the El Niño were also covered by the government’s expected losses annually. 

According to the Agriculture official, the El Niño back in 1997 to 1998 affected 370,000 hectares. This year, he said the DA projects 120,000 hectares of losses, but only about 58,000 hectares have been damaged so far. 

“So, hindi ganon kalaki. Syempre dahil napaghandaan natin ito sa abiso ng PAGASA at sa pagtutulungan natin with NIA (National Irrigation Administration). So, hindi ganoon kalaki ang naapketuhan talaga as expected namin,” de Mesa said. 

(The damage was not that big compared to what we expected. We’ve prepared for this through the advisories of PAGASA, and our coordination with NIA.) 

Based on the government’s data, as of Thursday-May 2, the damage to agriculture caused by El Niño has reached P5.9 billion.

Rice was still the most affected crop, with a total value loss of P3.1 billion, followed by corn at P1.76 billion, and high-value crops at P958 million. 

The Mimaropa, the Cordillera Administrative Region, and Western Visayas were the three most affected regions. — DVM, GMA Integrated News