El Niño cuts 2015 E. Visayas rice harvest

TACLOBAN CITY, Dec. 29 (PNA) – Eastern Visayas will likely miss the 2015 rice production target by 5 percent due to “lingering effects” of El Niño phenomenon, the Department of Agriculture (DA) reported.

Citing preliminary forecast from the Philippine Statistics Authority, DA Regional Executive Director Leo Cañeda said the region might sustain rice yield decline from 984,000 metric tons (mt) in 2014 to 940,000 mt this year.

“Rice is relatively more vulnerable to impacts of El Niño due to inadequate water support. The decrease in reduction corresponds to the decrease in area harvested,” Cañeda told PNA.

The output drop is contrary to the seven percent output growth eyed by DA during their planning early this year.

Bulk of reduction was noted between July to September. Leyte, with rice production accounting half of the region’s output, was the most affected by the prolonged dry season, according to Cañeda.

The region has been aiming for annual harvest of one million mt, but several factors have been preventing eastern Visayas farmers from achieving the target in the past seven years. For the first time, the region breached the one million mt rice yield in 2008.

“Much as we expect to achieve a little over a million metric tons, we failed to do so. In fact, instead of being able to increase our output by around 60,000 mt, there has been a slippage of about 50,000 mt. (PNA)
JMC/SARWELL Q. MENIANO