Asian scientists open conference in Laguna

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna , Philippines  – Scientists from 11 Asian countries opened yesterday a conference to tackle weather-related problems caused by the El Niño phenomenon.

The delegates intend to put up a regional project dubbed as “FAO-SEARCA Research Study on the Impacts of El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Events on Cereal Production, Area, and Yield in Asia.”

The Los Baños-based, Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization-Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEAMEO SEARCA) and the United Nations-Food and Agriculture Organization (UN-FAO) organized the conference.

The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) also assisted in the project.

The FAO-funded project seeks to examine the impact of ENSO on the production of three top staple foods in Asia - rice, wheat, and maize/corn, said Dr. Gil Saguiguit Jr., SEARCA director.

He said the research program aims to expand the number of countries and crops covered by the project by using a standard methodology “for ENSO-related researches.”

The project would help the agriculture sector release to the public the available estimates of ENSO impacts and identifying appropriate coping mechanisms.

David Dawe of FAO said the conference-workshop is the first of two meetings on the FAO-SEARCA project.

The project’s research component covers 11 Asian countries – Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.

The three-day workshop that ends tomorrow would assist researchers on the impact of climate on cereal (rice, wheat, and maize) production.

The project’s outputs are expected to provide agricultural institutions and governments with comprehensive empirical data to guide them in crafting appropriate policies and programs to address the impacts of ENSO on agriculture in general, and on cereal production in particular.

DOH warns of dengue

The Department of Health (DOH) warned residents in drought-affected areas that they may still experience rising cases of dengue.

Dr. Eric Tayag, director of the DOH’s National Epidemiology Center, said that in areas where water supply is scarce, people tend to store water in containers that could become breeding grounds for dengue-carrier mosquitoes.

Dengue is a disease spread by the day-biting Aedes-aegypti mosquito that thrives in clean but stagnant water.

Tayag said 26 barangays nationwide are now being observed closely for “clustering” of dengue cases.

These barangays are found in Makati, Marikina, Quezon City, Lagawe in Ifugao, Lipa City and Padre Garcia in Batangas City, San Pedro in Laguna, Taytay and Rodriguez in Rizal, Cebu City, Danao City and Talisay City in Cebu, Tacloban City in Leyte, Iligan City in Lanao del Norte, Cagayan de Oro City and Jasaan in Misamis Oriental, Davao City in Davao del Sur, and Butuan City in Agusan del Norte.

DOH records showed that from Jan. 1 to Feb. 27, a total of 6,236 dengue cases were admitted in the various sentinel hospitals of the agency.     – With Sheila Crisostomo