President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s administration is stepping up measures to protect food and water supplies as the government prepares for the possible effects of El Niño.

President Marcos has ordered the National Food Authority (NFA) to increase its palay (unhusked rice) procurement and warehouse capacity to build up the government’s rice buffer stock.

In a press briefing Monday, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the NFA has been directed to buy as much palay as possible during the remaining harvest season.

“Bumibili ng bumibili ang NFA ubusin ang kanilang pera, para mapuno iyong ating mga (The NFA keeps buying and buying, exhausting their funds, in order to fill up our) NFA warehouses with the rice,” Laurel said.

The Department of Agriculture is also intensifying production support in areas that still have sufficient water, including additional seeds and fertilizer, while deploying solar irrigation systems and solar pumps to sustain farm production.

“We will be doing cloud seeding to make more water fall down sa mga agri lands natin (in our agri lands). But besides that, we are also doubling down on iyong mga interventions doon sa areas ng tubig. Meaning, more intensity sa seeds per hectare, more fertilizer, then hopefully mas marami silang ma-produce doon sa mga areas na may tubig pa para ma-augment kahit paano ang mga areas na walang tubig (We are also intensifying our interventions in areas with water access. This means increasing the seeding rate per hectare and fertilizer application, with the hope of boosting production in these areas to somehow offset the losses in areas lacking water),” Laurel said.

The President has also directed the DA to prepare a work plan for farmers and fisherfolk who may be unable to produce during the height of El Niño. The plan includes alternative activities such as canal construction and land preparation for the next planting season.

“Iniutos ni Pangulo na gumawa kami ng work plan na baka yung ibang TUPAD ibigay natin sa ating mga farmers at fisherfolk during the kasagsagan ng El Niño based on schedule para habang hindi sila makapagtanim ay gumawa sila ng mga kanal, mag land preparation (The President ordered us to create a work plan to potentially allocate some TUPAD slots to our farmers and fisherfolk during the peak of El Niño, based on a schedule; this would allow them to work on digging canals and land preparation while they are unable to plant crops) for next planting season,” Laurel said.

Laurel said the government is also maintaining food supply buffers, with the country currently holding about 75 days of rice supply, 125 days of chicken, 170 days of pork, and 90 days of corn. (PNA)