The local agriculture industry is beginning to bear the brunt of the dry spell, with crops exhibiting signs of ‘water stress,' the Department of Agriculture said Wednesday. “There reports from the Visayas, from Masbate, that the effects of El Nino are getting worse. Some exhibit corn crops that are water-stressed,” Agriculture Undersecretary Joel Rudinas said in an interview on GMA television program Unang Balita (First Report). Insufficient supply of water will result in substandard crops which can only be fed to animals, explained Rudinas. “Those that are in early point of stresscan be harvested in the near future but the harvest will be affected, will not be on the same level as regularly done,” Rudinas said. Meanwhile, the government's cloud seeding to counter the dry spell has been stalled due to the lack of suitable clouds. The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said the Department of Agriculture may have to wait some more weeks before rain clouds can be formed. “The clouds now are not appropriate for seeding. But when the wind changes direction and blows southwest, expect rain clouds to form),” Pagasa forecaster Elvie Enriquez said in an interview on dzBB radio. Because of this, the DA is coordinating with other government departments like the Techincal Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) and the Department of Social Welfare and Department (DSWD) to help ease the burden of El Ni?o on the farmers. “We are coordinating with Tesda for the farmers' skills development . We have also talked to the DSWD about its (livelihood) program 4 PS - Pantawid Pilipino Program, Rudinas said. “We have also repaired irrigation and farm-to-market roads,” added Rudinas, saying the DSWD gives employment of affected farmers in repair and construction projects for additional income. Earlier, Pagasa said El Ni?o - characterized by dry spells and lower-than-average rainfall - will last until at least the first half of 2010. Enriquez said El Ni?o does not necessarily mean a dry spell, and that it will only bring less than average rain. “We can still expect some rains during El Ni?o,” she said. Rudinas also said that the dry spell will not cause any food shortage, saying the country still has enough food supply.
