Staff reporter
LAOAG CITY—Rising temperatures have dried up farmlands in
Ilocos Norte, now reaching to 645 hectares, a report from the Provincial
Agriculture said.
In a joint monitoring activity conducted by the Philippine
Statistics Authority, Department of Agriculture and the Office of the
Provincial Agriculture (OPAG), Provincial Agriculturist Norma Lagmay said they
are now coming up with quick plan measures to help farmers cope with the dry
spell.
So far, Ms. Lagmay said there are about 645.5 hectares of
fruits and vegetable farms, mostly in the southern and eastern towns of Ilocos
Norte which are affected by drought.
“At present, we are still validating reports from the
different municipalities if these affected areas are totally affected or
partially affected,” Ms. Lagmay added.
As part of the coping mechanisms, the OPAG has been
lending water pump units to farmers’ organizations in need of water supply
while a farmers’ advisory has been issued to educate more farmers on water
saving technologies or the so-called farm techniques on efficient water
management.
Among these techniques include the adoption of mulching
technology or the use of indigenous materials such as dried leaves or any
applicable farm waste on top of a soil to preserve its moisture and fertility.
Farmers were also advised not to burn farm wastes and convert them instead into
organic fertilizer.
To conserve water, the OPAG is discouraging the use of
flash irrigation in corn and vegetable plantations as well as the watering of
plants between 10 am to 2 pm, which would have the highest temperatures of
the day.
Meanwhile, small farm reservoirs are now also being
cleaned including the repair and rehabilitation of water impounding dams in
time for the upcoming rainy season.
“We need to prepare for prolonged drought as well as to
ready our water catchment basin in time for the rainy days,” Ms. Lagmay told
farmers.
Comments
Post a Comment