Philippines agriculture sector proposes El Niño mitigation plan for food production

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Philippines El Niño mitigation plan

Highlights

The Department of Agriculture proposed a P61.99-billion El Niño mitigation plan, including P6.2 billion released for UPLIFT Program livelihood support until December.
Key interventions such as cloud-seeding and red-striped soft scale insect control remain unfunded, heightening risk for sugarcane output and vulnerable farming communities.
President Marcos instructed the agriculture department to detail cloud-seeding operations, consider importing drought-resistant rice from India, and intensify market surveillance to prevent profiteering.

Funding plan and priority interventions

As reported by BusinessWorld Online, the Department of Agriculture said it proposed a P61.99-billion plan to reduce the impact of El Niño on food production and rural livelihoods. The proposal was presented at the National El Niño Task Force meeting presided over by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. at the Palace on Oct. 13, based on a memorandum outlining the meeting's highlights.

The spending package includes P6.2 billion already released for the government's UPLIFT Program, which provides monthly livelihood support payouts until December. Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. said early preparation is needed to help farmers cope with a potentially severe El Niño, including access to drought-tolerant rice varieties and other suitable inputs.

Additional measures remain unfunded, including cloud-seeding operations and steps to manage the red-striped soft scale insect infestation affecting sugarcane production. The department also faces pressure to support vulnerable farming communities before weather-related losses spread further across key food-producing areas.

Market oversight and food security implications

President Marcos ordered the Department of Agriculture to submit details of its cloud-seeding operations, including the areas proposed for coverage. He also directed the department to explore imports of drought-resistant rice seed from India as part of its contingency planning.

The President further ordered close market surveillance and price monitoring to deter manipulation and profiteering during the El Niño period. The department was also tasked with preparing a priority beneficiary list to help ensure assistance reaches vulnerable communities, reflecting concern over the broader effect of weather disruption on food supply and prices.

In our earlier report on the UN-backed plan to keep fertilizer moving through the Strait of Hormuz, we examined how delays in a U.S.-Iran agreement could leave key importing regions short of vital crop inputs as planting windows close. We noted that prolonged disruption was already pressuring farmers’ planting decisions and lifting costs, with the risk of higher food and commodity prices across parts of Asia and Africa if shipments do not resume in time.

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