El Niño destroys Zamboanga del Norte crops worth P700K

MANILA, Philippines — Agricultural products worth P717,503 have been damaged in Zamboanga del Norte due to the effects of El Niño, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Thursday.

According to the DA-Disaster Risk Reduction Management's bulletin, 22.3 hectares of rice fields sustained damaged, impacting a total of 22 farmers.

DA said that it had monitored the prevailing ground conditions and disseminated essential information to farmers regarding appropriate crop management strategies during the dry spell.

Based on the report of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) released on January 17, the Philippines is expected to be the world’s top rice importer due to the possible effects of El Niño.

“The Philippines is projected to remain the number one global rice importer—taking a record 3.8 million tons—in 2024,” the USDA said.

State weather bureau PAGASA previously said that a “strong” dry spell may persist until February.

In December 2023, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas warned that the dry spell might affect the country’s food supply.

Prior to the full impact of El Niño being felt in the country, rice inflation has surged to a high of 19.3%, as reported by the Philippine Statistics Authority. This is a significant rise from November 2023’s 15.8%.

The most recent rice inflation, standing at 22.9%, is the highest recorded since March 2009.