By Chris V. Panganiban
Inquirer Mindanao
SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur — Agusan del Sur has been placed under a state of calamity as prolonged El Niño conditions damage agricultural production, reduce water supplies and leave farmers struggling to plant their crops.
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan approved Resolution No. 585-26 on Sept. 14, declaring the province under a state of calamity following a recommendation from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC).
The resolution, approved by Gov. Santiago Cane Jr. on Sept. 24, said 36.4% of the province’s agricultural commodities had been affectedby the El Niño phenomenon. The approved resolution was only posted on Tuesday, September 30, at the Provincial Government of Agusan del Sur social media page.
It also cited an average 31.4% reduction in water availability in watersheds, with almost all component local government units experiencing shortages of potable water.
The provincial council said the conditions met the criteria for a state of calamity under Memorandum Order No. 60, which includes widespread damage to livelihoods and disruptions in essential lifelines such as food and potable water.
Farm losses
Provincial Agriculturist Armando Valiente earlier estimated agricultural losses at about P3.5 billion, with rice farmers among the hardest hit as water shortages disrupted planting and irrigation.
More than 35,000 hectares of rice land had been affected by the prolonged dry spell, leaving about 21,600 farmers unable to plant at the start of the July cropping season.
Valiente said the province normally plants about 45,000 hectares during the period, but only around 8,000 hectares had been planted by August.
The shortage of irrigation water has forced many farmers to abandon their planned cropping activities.
Henler Amador of the Lapinigan Farmers Association said July was normally a productive planting period, but many farmers were unable to proceed because irrigation canals operated by the National Irrigation Administration could not supply enough water.
Alex Moreno of the Sta. Ana Farmers Association in San Francisco said he had planned to plant rice in July and harvest it in September.
“I was supposed to plant last July, but I decided not to continue because of the effects of El Niño. I should have harvested this September,” Moreno said.
Other crops, including corn and vegetables, have also been affected by the prolonged dry conditions.
Farmer Senen Maglente said he had to spend about 40 liters of diesel to operate a water pump and turtle tractor for land preparation, adding to the cost of farming during the drought.
Water shortage
The impact of the prolonged dry spell has also extended to communities dependent on surface and watershed sources.
Elmer Luzon, general manager of the San Francisco Water District, earlier said the Magdiwata Watershed and the water system in Barangay Mate had recorded no rainfall sufficient to replenish their sources.
Thunderstorms had provided only limited relief, he said, while some residents in Barangay 4 and Dioso Subdivision reported limited water deliveries.
The provincial government has ordered a province-wide assessment of the effects of El Niño, with the Provincial Agriculture Office and Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office consolidating reports.
Cane earlier warned that the prolonged dry conditions could further reduce farm production.
“The prolonged dry conditions are already affecting our farmers. Their harvest will certainly be affected,” the governor said.
He also warned that the dry spell could continue into the first quarter of 2027.
“There is already an impending crisis. We need to prepare for the worst that could happen,” Cane said.
Different estimates
The provincial estimate of P3.5 billion in agricultural losses, however, is substantially higher than the damage-and-loss figure reported separately by the Department of Agriculture-Caraga.
In its Sept. 23 El Niño damage-and-loss bulletin, the DA Caraga Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Operations Center placed the region’s total agricultural value losses at about P197.4 million, of which P151 million was attributed to Agusan del Sur.
The DA bulletin reported 4,800 hectares of rice land affected across Caraga, involving 2,688 farmers, with an estimated rice value loss of P178.5 million.
The figures are not necessarily contradictory because the two assessments may be measuring different forms of impact.
The provincial estimate appears to encompass the broader disruption to planting and agricultural production, including farmland that could not be planted because of inadequate water. The DA bulletin, meanwhile, is specifically a damage-and-loss assessment and notes that its figures remain subject to validation.
The difference underscores the need to reconcile the two assessments, particularly on whether areas left unplanted because of water shortages are being counted as agricultural losses by the provincial government but excluded from the DA’s formal crop-damage computation.
For Agusan del Sur, the immediate concern remains the same: prolonged dry conditions are threatening the next cropping cycles while water sources continue to decline.
The state of calamity declaration is expected to facilitate the province’s response to the effects of the El Niño phenomenon and the continuing shortages of water for agriculture and household use.
