The Department of Agriculture (DA) is looking to secure as much as P45 billion in total funding this year to cushion farmers and fisherfolk from a looming super El Niño.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the P45-billion requirement would fund interventions across the agriculture sector, including fuel and fertilizer subsidies, irrigation support and other measures to sustain production as dry conditions intensify.
Tiu Laurel said El Niño, which climate experts expected to worsen to a ‘very strong event,’ might last until April 2027.
Already, the DA is moving ahead with an initial P6.2-billion El Niño aid package expected to benefit about 300,000 farmers and fisherfolk, with the largest tranche of assistance scheduled for November as the government prepares for the next planting season.
Fuel aid for fisherfolk would begin rolling out this week, while subsidies for mechanized farmers could be released before the end of October as the DA finalizes its list of beneficiaries.
Under the Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food and Transport (Uplift) framework, about 300,000 farmers and fisherfolk are expected to benefit from a P3-billion budget for a one-time P5,000 fuel subsidy that covers agricultural machinery and equipment such as tractors and motorized bancas.
Priority would be given to areas already affected by drought and other weather disturbances, including Isabela province and other major agricultural areas, Tiu Laurel said.
Apart from fuel subsidies, El Niño support is expected to cover fertilizer aid.
Among the broader interventions being considered are additional fuel subsidies for irrigation pumps and other farm machinery, more tractors and harvesters, and fertilizer support.
The Department plans to intensify planting in areas with sufficient irrigation, including by increasing rice seeding rates, while encouraging farmers in water-stressed areas to shift to drought-resistant crops such as mung beans and vegetables.
‘We are watching things very closely, actually on a day-to-day basis,’ Tiu Laurel said.
Despite the risks, Tiu Laurel said the Philippines has enough supplies of key food commodities heading into the final months of the year.