TACLOBAN CITY– Concerned national government agencies admitted that rice farmers in Samar and Eastern Samar would suffer great production loss this cropping season due to El Ni ño phenomenon since the two provinces have no improved irrigation system.

“Only communal water systems exist in Samar provinces and these are not sufficient to supply the requirement,” Reuyan said.

The P2-miilionm national irrigation project for both Samar and Eastern Samar areas would be implemented within the first six months of 2005.

El Ni ño phenomenon was expected to hit the two Samar provinces within November 2004 to April 2005 cropping season as reported by weather forecasters of Pag-asa.

DA-8 assistant regional director Arsenio Fortin cited his observation that maybe for some farmers might abandon their rice farms and shift to planting other crops because of the reduced rainfall.

“With the absence of national irrigation, we are encouraging local government units to establish shallow tube wells that will be used in the dry season,” he said.

Earlier, Samar and Eastern Samar were included in the list of 31 provinces all over the country that would experience dry spell from November 2004 to April 2005 cropping period.

Fortin explained that if the El Ni ño phenomenon would occur for a longer period, other provinces in Eastern Visayas might also be affected.

The DA assistant regional chief told LSDE that the dry spell was not felt in the past weeks in the region because of the heavy rainfall brought about by tropical storms.

Weather forecasters of Pag-asa disclosed that the El Ni ñ o phenomenon is being experienced in Indonesia, a country close to the Philippines.