MANILA, Philippines — As the country observes Rice Awareness Month, Senate Deputy Minority Leader Imee Marcos has urged the national government to deliver immediate assistance to Filipino farmers bracing for the anticipated impacts of a severe El Niño phenomenon.
Highlighting the vulnerabilities of the agricultural sector, Marcos emphasized that efforts should extend beyond consumer conservation to provide tangible backing for food producers.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) has forecasted that the strong El Niño conditions will persist through the first half of 2027, compounding prior agricultural losses that reached ₱6.87 billion and affected over 223,000 farmers by the end of September.
“I hope we are aware of the hardships our farmers are currently facing. With a ‘super El Niño’ on the horizon, their situation is set to become even more difficult.”
“Let us not just be prudent with our rice consumption; let us also provide sufficient support to those who feed us.”
To mitigate potential crop failures, the senator recommended bolstering dry farming techniques—such as rainfall utilization and soil-moisture-retaining mulching—alongside the “alternate wetting and drying” (AWD) water-conservation method successfully utilized in neighboring countries like Vietnam and Thailand.
Furthermore, Marcos called on the Department of Agriculture (DA) to accelerate the distribution of early-maturing, drought-tolerant rice varieties and alternative resilient crops, including sweet potatoes, cassava, and taro.
She underscored that swift interventions, improved irrigation and water storage projects, and the strategic timing of imported rice are vital to protecting both farmers’ livelihoods and national food security.