The El Niño phenomenon has wrought havoc in Ilocos Norte this year as farmer-cooperators of MMSU’s Rice Seed Dispersal Project (RSDP) who planted high-yielding varieties of rice are now crying for help.

RSDP is one of the banner programs of the MMSU Extension Directorate which gives interest-free seed loans and technical assistance to farmer-beneficiaries.

This dry spell continues to raze the ricefields of the towns of Pasuquin, Paoay, and Batac City, rendering uncontrolled damage on rice and other high-value commercial crops. Experts from MMSU and those from the provincial office of the Department of Agriculture (DA) expect a surge in the prices of rice in the coming months.

Based on monitoring activities conducted by the staff of the MMSU Extension Directorate, most, if not all of the farmer-cooperators in the province are dismayed on the plight of their rice crop because of the strong dry spell. They said they might not be able to repay the seeds they borrowed this year.

The farmers tried to use portable water pumps to arrest the water shortage but their efforts continue to hurt their pockets because of the high cost of gasoline to keep their machines running. MMSU experts said the phenomenon is expected to roil the province’s economy which heavily depends on agriculture.

“We’ve already been hit by a three-month dry spell,” complains one farmer in Batac City who asked not to be identified, adding that his family could not plant anything since August even as they pray for more rains to come.

Representatives from the Philippine Athmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services (PAGASA) said rainfall in Ilocos Norte and in the rest of Region 1 might not be enough as desired by farmers because weather forecasts show an intensifying El Niño phenomenon.

This phenomenon is already warming the sea-surface across the Pacific and is now rendering a scorching weather across Asia. PAGASA reported that this year’s El Niño is the strongest compared with the previous occurences from 1950 to 1998. It said this dry spell will likely intensify further before the end of the year and may last until the first half of 2016.

In relation to this, DA officials suggested that farmers must file their crop insurance claims with the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) to at least defray the incurred farm inputs on their crops.

Meanwhile in MMSU, grain prices in the university warehouse are not yet affected by the threat of El Niño because of the bountiful rice harvest last year.

In Ilocos Norte, monsoon rains are vital because of the province’s reference as a semi-arid area in northern Luzon. Though farm sector accounts for 20 percent of the province’s economy, half of its ricefields lack efficient irrigation facilities. The local weather bureau has forecasted weaker rainfall in the province this year, citing a 70 percent El Niño probability until Christmas. (By Reynaldo E. Andres and Sherlyn B. Nicolas)