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Tuesday, March 28, 2006
La Niña answers need in farms
The occurrence of the La Niña phenomenon in the country will spare farmers and the government from spending “a lot of money” in bringing water to the farmlands.
That’s what Department of Agriculture (DA) 7 Director Eduardo Lecciones said during the recent meeting on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Standards for Horticulture Produce.
Bohol was “tremendously” affected with the hot season. The DA, in coordination with the Philippine Air Force, had to conduct constant cloud seeding to produce rains.
“The production of rice and corn, the top produce of the region, is expected to increase with La Niña, as planting season comes earlier this year,” he said in a statement.
Benefit
The region will benefit from La Niña compared to the other regions because its geographical nature does not pose any danger to the agricultural sector, he said.
The World Meteorological Organization reported this year’s La Niña as that of “substantial intensity or duration to develop so early in the year.”
Earlier this month, Philam Asset Management Inc. assistant vice president Ricky So said, in an economic briefing, that the country’s agricultural exports will increase if La Niña would not be “too destructive.”
Exports
Exports of banana, coconut, pineapple and mangoes will increase if the La Niña phenomenon, which brings more rainfall to the Philippines, will not jeopardize production of such products, he said.
The country’s economic performance last year was slower than the six percent growth rate in 2004 because of shortfalls in the agricultural sector, he added.
Planting
In an interview yesterday, DA 7 Crops Division Chief George Paculba said La Niña will be good for the region because it will shorten the wait of farmers for the rainy season in May to be able to start planting.
“We can’t see any negative effect of La Niña. In fact, it will make our crop production level higher,” he said.
However, he noted that Cebu province only has six percent sufficiency level of rice production and has to depend on supply from other neighboring regions and provinces with the bulk of it coming from Min-danao. (ALC)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (March 28, 2006 issue)
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