Vermicompost helps tillers grow crops despite El Niño

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) said the use of vermicompost (fertilizer produced from earthworms) has helped some local farmers grow high-value crops despite the El Niño phenomenon.

PCARRD, an agency under the Department of Science and Technology, said the worm compost eases the effects of El Niño in rice production.

“The combined application of vermicompost and vermitea can improve soil condition and agronomic performance of selected rice varieties,” it said.

Vermitea is fermented water extract of vermicompost used as pesticide.

Dr. Cielito Beltran of the Tarlac College of Agriculture said vermicompost and vermitea, when used as fertilizer and pesticide, respectively, can increase rice productivity up to 28 percent.

Intense heat has been drying up farmlands, reservoirs and waterways all over the country.

El Niño, a weather phenomenon referring to the warmer-than-normal sea-surface temperature in the Pacific Ocean, is characterized by below normal rainfall.

The amount of damage brought by the months-long dry spell has already surpassed P12 billion, according to the latest data of the National Disaster Coordinating Council.

Damage was recorded in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Bicol, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao and Socsksargen.

In Cagayan, affected were palay, corn, assorted vegetables, and fish stocks in fishponds and fishcages in four provinces, while in Central Luzon, the dry spell took its toll on palay, corn and high-value commercial crops in seven provinces.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) earlier said El Niño, which started in June 2009, has weakened during the second half of April but still within the weak El Niño threshold.

“Overall, the tropical Pacific is cooling gradually and the return to neutral conditions may be expected this June,” Pagasa said.