Cloud seeding would be the ultimate recourse of the provincial government to arrest the impact of the looming mild El Niño based on the forecast of the state weather bureau, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
Larry Pamugas, officer-in-charge of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist, confirmed that the provincial government already complied with all the requirements for the cloud seeding operations to be conducted starting July until August.
Pamugas issued the statement during last Friday’s round of the weekly media interaction, Kita ug ang Gobernador, based on the PAGASA forecast that the mild El Niño will hit the province again by July and might extend up to the latter part of the year.
As of now, PAGASA forecast rain showers in the remaining days this month and in June.
The dry spell already affected both rain-fed and irrigated farm lands in the province.
On this, Pamugas advised the rice farmers to wait for the rain before proceeding with land preparation for the next cropping season, considering that the National Irrigation Administration only supplies water for maintenance of the ricefields and the land preparation has to rely on abundant rainfall.
The provincial government, with the technical teams from the Department of Agriculture will conduct rounds of cloud seeding operations costing P2.3 million when the cumulu-nimbus clouds form.
The Technical Working Group of the province, noted on climate change as the rainy days moved earlier sometime in April and May which are supposedly the dry season and the dry season already start in June which used to be the start of the rainy days.
The TWG also start preparing for the dry spell that might continue to prevail even after August, according to Pamugas.
However, the farmers also have to brace for the string of typhoons in November and December that might still cause damage on some crops at an extreme pattern.
Planting patterns might also have to be adapted with the “new normal†in the light of climate change.