THE Department of Agriculture (DA) needs to evaluate soil types and their suitability to crops on a regional basis before it implements changes to the planting calendar, according to an expert from the Climate Change Commission (CCC).
THE Department of Agriculture (DA) needs to evaluate soil types and their suitability to crops on a regional basis before it implements changes to the planting calendar, according to an expert from the Climate Change Commission (CCC).
In an interview, Lourdes V. Tibig from the CCC’s National Panel of Technical Experts, said that the DA should also consider how El Niño has altered the planting calendar.
“The problem is, when there is El Niño-related drought, they don’t have an answer except for rainmaking. It is not effective. We are better off allocating the money set aside for rainmaking to other things. The rain does not fall on the places that need it. Better to spend the rainmaking funds on other forms of support for the farmers like appropriate seed… They need to study crop adaptability and all those factors at the DA,” Ms. Tibig said.
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