El Niño Watch: Agriculture damage nears P10 billion

MANILA — Agricultural damage and losses due to the exceptionally strong El Nino has reached P9.99 billion, the Department of Agriculture reported Thursday. 

The figure covered rice, corn, cassava, high value crops, and livestock and poultry across vast swaths of the country, affecting 324,327 farmers with 323,419 hectares of agricultural areas, the agency said. 

It said that rice production this year was projected at about 18.6 million metric tons, which is roughly one million metric tons lower than the 2025 output. 

“The projected decrease is attributed to a combination of factors, including elevated fertilizer and fuel costs, El Niño impacts, severe flooding brought by the Habagat that damaged standing crops, and farmgate price volatility that affected farmers’ planting decisions and actual planted area,” the agency said.  

Meanwhile, corn production in 2026 is projected to decrease by some 500,000 metric tons compared with 2025. 

El Nino is driving weather disruptions around the globe, stoking food security fears and increasing the chances that 2026 will be the second-hottest year on record, experts say.

The climate phenomenon may peak in December and persist until the first half of 2027. 

While the Super El Niño may result in lower yield of agricultural products, the DA previously assured the public that there is enough food supply.

The agency added Thursday that water levels across major dams “remain generally stable.” 

It said it provided some P18.64 billion worth of aid to El Niño-hit farmers so far in the form of seeds, fertilizers, and cash aid, among others.  

Agriculture accounts for about eight percent of the Philippines’ gross domestic product and employs one in four Filipinos, according to government figures. — With a report from Agence France-Presse