Department of Agriculture (DA) Undersecretary Bernie Fondevilla has scaled down his earlier estimate that a total of 620,000 hectares of rice fields would be hit by the El Niño phenomenon.

Speaking at the Friday Balitaan sa Rembrandt in Quezon City, Fondevilla said that the dry spell expected to hit the country, earlier estimated to last until May, would most likely be cut short.

He said the latest data indicate only a total of 300,000 hectares of rice farms would be affected by the phenomenon.

“This is pleasant news to our farmers,” he added.

Fondevilla revealed that the Department of Agriculture (DA) based its earlier assessment that the dry spell would affect 620,000 hectares and 2.36 million metric tons (MMT) of paddy rice valued at P40 billion on preliminary data.

Most likely, he said, the country would have a mild to moderate episode of El Niño, which is characterized by the heating of surface water from Peru and equatorial areas down to some parts of Chile.

This episode is followed by harsh typhoons or recurrent flooding in areas from Latin America to Southeast Asia.

Fondevilla’s statement came in the wake of the revelation by Dr. Frisco Malabanan in the middle of January that the country’s paddy rice production would hit 17.4 MMT and may even breach 18 MMT if the government invests more funds for grain production this year.