AGRICULTURAL damage caused by El Niño has ballooned to P357.4 million, with the majority of losses recorded in palay production, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said.

The weather pattern was said to have so far affected 6,523 hectares (ha) of farmlands in the regions of Ilocos, Mimaropa, Western Visayas and the Zamboanga Peninsula.

For rice fields alone, the affected area was estimated at 5,011 ha or 0.52 percent of the total target area planted. The production loss was recorded at 11,480 MT or around 0.12 percent of this year's targeted dry cropping season output.

"As for corn, area affected by the dry spell is at 1,263 hectares or 0.11 percent of the total target area planted, while the production loss of 2,897 MT is 0.06 percent of target production for the 2024 dry cropping season," the DA said in its latest El Niño bulletin.

About 275,000 ha of rice fields are expected to be vulnerable to the impact of the El Niño weather phenomenon, the DA earlier said. This is equivalent to an estimated 1.1 million MT of palay or rice stocks good for 20 days.

As of February 24, around 7,668 farmers were recorded to have been affected by drought.

In line with this, the DA reiterated plans to provide assistance through the distribution of vegetable seeds and planting materials for high-value crops in the affected regions.

Additionally, it will distribute planting materials for water-efficient high-value crops in the Zamboanga Peninsula, aiming to assist farmers in recovering from the impact of a dry spell that has been intensified by El Niño.

Implementation of an alternate wetting-and-drying technique to cut water use in rice fields and exploration of solar-powered irrigation is also in the pipeline to address drought-prone regions, the department said.

Cloud-seeding will also be conducted in partnership with the state weather bureau and the Philippine Air Force as part of efforts to alleviate water scarcity, especially in the Cagayan Valley Region.

"Promotion of drought-resistant crops and pest-control efforts are also underway to assist farmers in areas suffering from low rainfall levels," the DA said.