BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson expressed confidence that Negros Occidental would be able to overcome the upcoming dry spell caused by the El Niño phenomenon.
The governor said a large area of the province is already well-irrigated and he doesn’t see any problems as long as the irrigation is unhampered.
He also doesn’t see any problems for rice and sugarcane farmers as the milling season is already closing.
Lacson, however, advised farmers to finish their harvest and immediately make preparations for next year.
If Negros Occidental had managed to navigate through the El Niño in the past, it has a high chance of overcoming the phenomenon this year, he stressed.
The governor said they will review some assistance options for farmers and assured them that they would get it as long as the provincial government is capable of doing so.
On Tuesday, March 21, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) confirmed the beginning of the dry season.
On Thursday, Pagasa issued another statement saying El Niño – a weather phenomenon characterized by below-normal rainfall – could persist until 2024.
The state weather bureau’s climate projections revealed that El Niño could begin by the third quarter of 2023 or between July and September, and could last until next year./PN
