A lawmaker urged the government to create drought- and flood-resistant crops to combat the El Nino Phenomenon threat, which will be a significant challenge for farmers.
According to Agriculture Party List Representative Wilbert Lee, the government can tap state education institutions, scientists to develop drought-tolerant crops and flood-resistant crops.
The Congressman said it is time to maximize state educational institutions such as the University of the Philippines (UP) to produce crops that are resilient during droughts and floods.
Lee said everyone should be worried about the threat of El Niño and its negative impact especially on the production of agricultural products.
The lawmaker believes that having crops that can be planted during the dry season will greatly help the country’s food security.
The lawmaker specifically referred to the $14.95 million agricultural genomics agreement between the University of the Philippines (UP) and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) to carry out the “Capacity-Building for Higher Education and the Establishment of Agricultural Genomics Research Center at the University of the Philippines Los Baños” project.
Agricultural genomics is a study of an organism’s genetic makeup.
To effectively combat the El Niño issue, the nation will need to create hardy agricultural strains.
