MANILA - The El Niño has caused at least  P1.31 billion worth of agricultural damage as of mid-March, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Wednesday. 

Majority of the damage as of March 12 affected about 14,142 hectares of palay plantation, DA spokesperson Arnel De Mesa said in a briefing.

Areas primarily affected included Western Visayas, Zamboanga, and Ilocos, or those in the western side of the archipelago, he said.

However, the official assured the public that this was still smaller compared to the damage incurred during the El Niño that hit the country in 1997 and 1998.

"Maliit pa po ito, about 1.5 percent of the total area na mayroong tanim. In terms of volume, it's about less than 1 percent of our projected harvest for the year," he said.

(This is smaller or about 1.5 percent of the total area with palay crops.)

"Kung ikumupara po natin sa worst El Niño na tumama sa atin noong 1997 and 1998, ang total area na devastated by El Niño, one of the strongest, it was about 372,000 hectares and during this time naman ay nasa harvest period na tayo, March, April, May, hopefully hindi na masyadong mataas," he added.

(If we compare this to the El Niño in 1997 and 1998, the total area devastated by El Niño, one of the strongest, it was about 372,000 hectares and during this time, we were in the harvest period, March, April, May. Hopefully it won't be that high.)

The DA said it prepared water management interventions, including solar irrigation and the promotion of alternate wetting and drying strategy for palay.

"This strategy helped a lot in conservation of water without sacrificing yung ating (our) projected yield," he said.

The government had also advocated for the use of hybrid palay varieties, he said.