MANILA — Some farmers in Bulacan are now grappling with the effects of the El Niño phenomenon.
In San Ildefonso, Bulacan, approximately 10 percent of rice farmers have failed to plant during this dry season due to the lack of water supply, especially in rain-fed areas, according to San Ildefonso Municipal Agriculture Officer Victorio Joson.
They fear that they won’t be able to achieve the regular harvest of 4.7 metric tons this dry season.
“Our farmers can harvest little, who can’t harvest anything, especially we are one of the expected ones in Bulacan who contributed a large harvest,” Joson said.
One of the affected farmers is Wilson De Mesa of Barangay Casalat, San Ildefonso.
He explained that he could not plant rice due to the lack of water, and it has been two months since it last rained in their area, he said.
“We can feel the El Niño now because of our crops. The second crop used to be planted, but now we have not been able to plant because El Niño has taken effect because we are far from solar irrigation, almost 2 kilometers,” he said.
He has already plowed his farm, but due to the lack of water, he opted to plant vegetables instead of rice.
The municipal agriculture office, meanwhile, has advised farmers to plant early maturing vegetables and the agency has started distributing vegetable seeds and fertilizers to the farmers.
In Bulacan, some farmers are thankful because the agriculture department has provided them with Solar Powered Irrigation System or SPIS. Around 5 SPIS have been established, and some are already operational.
Engineer Paul John Milanes, the acting Provincial Agriculture Engineer of Bulacan, said the SPIS is a big help to farmers in rain-fed areas. However, they are still worried that their water source might run dry if the El Niño intensifies.
“The most critical thing is our water source, if the Casalat river dries up, that’s it,” Milanes said.
Source: ABS-CBN News
