Ilocos farmers worry about harvest amid El Niño, scarce water

Farmers in Vintar, Ilocos Norte have started feeling the brunt of the intensifying El Niño with fewer harvests of their vegetable crops.

Adding to their woes is seeing the water in wells depleting rapidly.  The water level in San Cristobal Dam in Sarrat town has also dropped.

Local authorities said the dry spell does not bode well for their farmers, especially in areas where the planting of tobacco is in full swing. Without rainfall, they fear their crops will dry up and they will end up without harvests.

The reliance on well water for irrigation purposes is crucial for the crops. Obtaining water even from wells and deep wells in certain barangays has become increasingly difficult.

To get by, farmers are temporarily shifting to high-value crops for planting.

According to the Task Force El Niño, the damage to crops in Region 9 and 6 has amounted to approximately P150 million.

“The bulk of that damage is in rice and corn. For rice, it’s P141.24; and then for corn, that’s P10.04 million. So two regions pa lang po ang severely affected, but as I said, the task force is doing all it can to help the farmers affected by the situation,” Assistant Secretary Joey Villarama, task force spokesperson, said.

Efforts to repair irrigation canals for better water sourcing are ongoing. Additionally, fertilizers are being provided to farmers in the most affected regions, particularly in Western Visayas and Zamboanga Peninsula.

However, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, the number of provinces affected by El Niño has decreased from 50 to 41. Seventeen provinces are experiencing dry conditions, 10 are under a dry spell, and 14 are facing drought.

“There’s social protection and alternative means of livelihood doon po sa nasalanta o naapektuhan talaga. So, as the President has emphasized, our approach to El Niño is, number one, intervention; number two, mitigation; and then, we enjoined everyone – it’s a whole of government approach,” Villarama said. —LDF, GMA Integrated News