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MANILA, Philippines — The damage brought by the El Niño Phenomenon to the country’s crop sector has reached P2.63 billion, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).

Based on DA’s Wednesday bulletin, the dry spell has so far affected 54,203 farmers in Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol Region, Western Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula and Soccsksargen.

READ: El Niño damage now at P357.4M

It added that the damage covers about 53,879 hectares with volume production loss of 116,792 metric tons (MT) — 72,733 MT for palay, 35,885 MT for corn, and 8,173 MT for high-value crops.

To aid the affected farmers, DA said it has already distributed P1.08 billion worth of the following assistance:

• High-value crops with less water requirement (e.g. mungbean) in Iloilo and Negros Occidental amounting to P990,000
• Hybrid rice seeds worth P7.87 million
• Fertilizers worth P7.63 million to non-vulnerable areas in Western Visayas
• Corn seeds worth P 1.16 million in Ilocos Region, among many others

To mitigate possible losses in fisheries, DA said it also provided 111 diversified alternative livelihoods and technologies from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to fisherfolk in Cordillera, Bicol, Central Visayas, and Zamboanga Peninsula Regions.

It added that the DA-Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM), in collaboration with relevant agencies like the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration and Department of National Defense-Philippine Air Force continuously conducts cloud seeding operations to ease water shortage, targeting corn areas in Southern Cagayan, Northern Isabela, and Quirino.

Meanwhile, the National Irrigation Administration installed 570 water augmentation pumps in Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Mimaropa, and Western Visayas regions, among others.