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MANILA — The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) on Thursday said the farm sector could still recover rice and corn production losses due to recent typhoons.

NIA Administrator Eduardo Guillen said the agency identified areas where corn could be planted to offset crops destroyed by the typhoons in July.

The NIA is also coordinating with the Department of Agriculture (DA) and other sectors to help farmers increase their "cropping intensity", he said in a public briefing.

Meanwhile, the rice damaged by typhoon Egay in the northern Philippines in July were still in a "vegetative stage", Guillen said. This phase is is associated with the 6 to 8-week period following planting.

The NIA will provide continuous irrigation for new rice crops and had asked the DA to give farmers high-yielding varieties to double production, he said.

"Makakabawi tayo, lalo na itong susunod na cropping season po natin, ang ganda ng coordination namin ng DA ano po at maganda po ang planning natin ngayon," the official said.

(We can recover, especially in our next cropping season. Our coordination and planning with the DA is food.)

"Ang NIA ay closely na nakikipagtulungan po ngayon sa DA, para iyong ating farm input assistance, including nga iyong mga farm machineries ay maiparating po natin sa tamang oras po," he added.

(The NIA is closely coordinating with the DA to promptly deliver farm input assistance, including machinery, to our farmers.)

Marcos assured the public last week that the country would have enough rice supply until the height of the El Niño phenomenon next year.

Rice prices have been steadily rising in the past few months, further triggered by India's export ban.

• Rice 'sufficient' but DTI, DA to monitor prices: Palace

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