El Nino costs Philippine agriculture up to nearly 19 mln USD (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The Philippine government on March 6 said that the El Nino dryspell and drought has cost Philippine agriculture over 1 billion PHP (nearly 19 million USD) while the climate pattern may persisttill the second quarter this year.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and ManagementCouncil said El Nino has affected over 23,000 farmers and fisherfolk, and damagednearly 18,000 hectares of crop areas in five regions across the country.
The Western Visayas region in the central Philippinesreported the highest cost of agricultural damage, followed by the areas in themain Luzon Island and Zamboanga Peninsula in the south of Philippines.
The state weather bureau declared the start of the ElNino phenomenon in July last year. According to the bureau, most global climatemodels suggest that El Nino will likely persist until the March-April-May 2024season.
On March 5,National Economic and Development Authority Secretary Arsenio Balisacan voicedconcern over the potential impact of a strong El Nino weather pattern on foodprices.
The Philippine Statistics Authority data showed thatyear-on-year inflation in the country rose to 3.4% in February, while rice remained the topcontributor to the higher inflation rate, recording a 23.7% price rise, the highestsince February 2009.
The government is intensifying its efforts to mitigatethe effects of the El Nino phenomenon and help keep the inflation rate withintarget, Balisacan added./.
