Farmers urged to shift to vegetable production

The Agriculture department wants rice and corn farmers affected by an El Niño-induced drought to shift temporarily to vegetable production since the weather pattern is likely to pummel farms until July. The agency issued the call on Wednesday, even as it assured farmers "there is enough room for expansion" for those likely to be hit by the dry spell. "Vegetable production could be a very profitable endeavor for our El Niño-hit farmers," the department said in a statement, noting that vegetable consumption remained low. It said it had ordered regional field units of to work with local governments for the speedy distribution of a package of assistance to affected palay (unhusked rice) and corn farmers. This aid package will include seeds, open source pumps and fuel subsidies for water pumps. Government mitigation measures include cloud-seeding operations in watershed areas; building shallow tube wells; providing fish cages, vegetable seeds, fruit flower inducers and microbial fertilizers; building small-scale irrigation facilities; and livelihood assistance. Agricultural losses from El Niño reached P9.58 billion at the end of March, with 12 regions experiencing dry spell conditions that affect production of rice, corn, fruits, flowers, high-value-commercial crops and livestock. — NPA, GMANews.TV