El Niño hits 173 hectares of farmlands in Pangasinan
THE PUNCH’s issue last week reported that 34 hectares of farmlands in Tayug town were hit hard by the El Niño phenomenon.
But the damage had spread – the dry spell already hit farmlands covering 173 hectares.
Reports from the Department of Agriculture Region I (DA-I) show that their latest monitoring that the affected 173 hectares were: 34 hectares in Tayug, 82 hectares in Santo Tomas town, and 57 hectares of farmlands in Manaoag town.
There have been reports of more lands affected by the El Niño, but the DA had not finished its validation at presstime.
Vida Cacal, DA-I spokesperson, said despite the increase in farmlands reported to suffer dry spells, the rice supply in the region is sufficient.
Cacal said Region I recorded more than 100-percent rice sufficiency.
In 2022, the region reached 181% sufficiency. Indicators show that 2023 will duplicate the 2022 data since there were no major weather disturbances that hit the region last year.
The DA-1 assures that even if El Niño impacts on 200 hectares this week, it will only have minimal impact on rice supply in the Region due to abundant production last year.
The PUNCH will continue to monitor farmlands in the province affected by El Niño. (Ahikam Pasion)
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