After “Lando”, comes El Nino–BFAR
DOUBLE WHAMMY
FARMERS will have to brace themselves for what appears to be a double whammy in the weeks ahead.
After their fields were drenched by torrential rains dumped by Typhoon “Lando”, farmers in Region 1 were told to prepare for El Nino that already started in some parts of the country and likely to usher in long dry months till mid 2016.
The warning was made by Department of Agriculture (DA) Regional Director Valentin Perdido as he re-echoed the need to conserve the water dumped by “Lando” and accumulated in impounding dams, fields and ponds to enable them to plant vegetables and other short-maturing crops.
Perdido said if the drought persists, the DA’s only recourse is to recommend cloud-seeding operations.
Perdido said farmers must prepare for El Nino and take the threat seriously and not waste the rainwater dumped by Typhoon Lando.
Last year’s El Nino affected the Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur and La Union and spared Pangasinan, which enabled it to register another bumper harvest on rice.
Pangasinan is the third biggest rice producer in the country after Nueva Ecija and Isabela in that order.
There is doubt if these three provinces will still maintain their lead in rice production considering the havoc exacted on their agriculture by Lando and soon El Nino. (Leonardo Micua)
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