El Niño’s lingering effects haunt farmers, fisherfolks

CEBU, Philippines - Despite the occurrence of occasional rains, some farmers’ groups in Cebu admitted that they are still worried of the enduring El Niño as it threatens their productivity.

Ines Densing, president of Sogod Federation of Farmers and Fishermen, said the dry season had significantly affected the growth of crops of the association’s members.

“The hot weather makes the growth of crops and vegetables slower than normal,” Densing told The FREEMAN in Cebuano on Wednesday at the Provincial Capitol.

Several farmers’ associations from various towns and cities in Cebu are joining the Agro Fair at the Capitol from August 3 to 8. The fair is part of the 446th founding anniversary of the Province of Cebu.

While the occasional rain has greatly helped farmers for their water needs, Densing claimed that farmers are still worried of El Niño’s presence.

She said the changing climate is really of great concern among agricultural growers as it directly affects their capability to produce crops and vegetables at the normal rate.

Lucia Diamante of Farmer Scientists Association of Tuburan shared that there was a recent instance when farmers from her town had smaller-than-normal corn yield due to the hot weather.

“Ang concern gyud namo ang pagtubo sa among mga tanom,” Diamante said, claiming that it’s really important for farmers to adopt new ways in farming to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Several farmers in her town, she said, went through the Farmer-Scientist Training Program (FSTP) of the Capitol, which teaches farmers on new farming ways to improve productivity.

She added that a lot of farmers still need to be tapped by the government’s FSTP as they need to learn about the modern know-how.

Isabel Polancos of the Municipal Agriculture Office in Tudela town of Camotes Island said that farmers there were given seedlings as a way to help them.

She said Tudela’s Calmante Farmers and Fishermen Association which mostly produces cassava were also affected by El Niño.

Farmers called on the government to continue helping them in their needs, pointing out the climate continues to threaten the agriculture industry.

In a previous interview, Joel Elumba, regional technical director of the Department of Agriculture in Central Visayas (DA-7), said the El Niño was likely to affect the region’s full-year farm yield.

Elumba also said agriculture damage could rise if the hot weather pattern further worsens.

The DA had directed its regional offices to step up monitoring of drought incidence in farms.

State weather bureau PAGASA and other international climate agencies had already predicted the current moderate El Niño affecting the country could intensify through the last quarter of 2015 and early part of 2016. — Carlo S. Lorenciana (FREEMAN)