During the start of the forecast period, Visayas, Mindanao, Bicol Region, CALABARZON, and MIMAROPA will experience cloudy skies with scattered rains and thunderstorms. The NE monsoon will bring cloudy skies with rains over Cagayan Valley, Cordillera Administrative Region, and Ilocos Region while the rest of Luzon will have partly cloudy to at times cloudy with isolated light rains. The rest of Northern Luzon and the eastern section of Central Luzon will have cloudy skies with scattered rains and thunderstorms. The NE monsoon will continue to bring cloudiness with isolated light rains over Northern Luzon throughout the forecast period. During the latter part of the dekad, cloudy skies with scattered rains and thunderstorms will likely be experienced over most of Visayas and eastern section of Mindanao. The rest of the country will likely experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms.
Generally, winds coming from the northeast will prevail over Northern Luzon while winds coming from the northeast to east will be experienced over the rest of the country.
Throughout the forecast period, moderate to rough seas will likely prevail over the seaboards of Northern Luzon while the rest of the archipelago will experience slight to moderate seas.
ENSO ALERT SYSTEM STATUS: LA NIÑA ALERT (Issued: 18 December 2024)
La Niña-like conditions are currently prevailing in the tropical Pacific; La Niña condition for Dec-Feb 2024/25 is favored, with a return to ENSO-neutral conditions starting the March-April-May (MAM) 2025 period. La Niña condition – a 1-month SSTA of -0.5°C or less is observed and an expectation that the 3-month SSTA (Oceanic Niño Index) of -0.5°C or less will be met (i.e. DJF). This condition increases the likelihood of having above-normal rainfall conditions, which could lead to potential adverse impacts such as heavy rainfall, floods, flash floods, and rain-induced landslides over highly vulnerable areas. For more info: https://www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/climate/el-nino-la-nina/monitoring
PAGASA will continue to closely monitor the developing La Niña. All government agencies concerned and the general public are encouraged to stay updated and use the information for guidance in taking precautionary measures to mitigate the adverse impacts of these phenomena.
Farm Advisories:
- Apply fertilizer when the soil is dry to avoid runoff. Avoid fertilizing immediately before or during heavy rainfall to prevent nutrients from washing away. After applying the fertilizer, incorporate it into the soil to enhance absorption and reduce surface runoff.
- Use tarps or waterproof covers for protection, and ensure vehicles are suitable for wet conditions to prevent damage or delays.
- Maintain well-drained farm exit routes to avoid waterlogging and ensure smooth loading and unloading.
- Space windbreak trees adequately for healthy growth and trim them regularly to maximize wind protection.
- Apply pesticides on calm, dry days, ensuring the correct dosage based on pest identification, and always follow label instructions to protect beneficial insects.
* DA expands protein-enriched copra meal project to Western Visayas
Author: DA Press Office | 1 January 2025
Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. has ordered the expansion of the Protein-Enriched Copra Meal (PECM) commercialization project to Western Visayas (Region VI), aimed at boosting local livestock production by providing a sustainable, cost-effective alternative protein source for animal feeds.
Launched in 2022 as a response to supply disruptions caused by COVID-19 and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, the PECM project was initially rolled out in CALABARZON (Regions IV-A) and SOCCSKSARGEN (Region XI). Designed to mitigate the rising costs of animal feed, the project uses copra meal—a by-product of coconut farming—as an affordable substitute for imported soybean meal, which has become increasingly expensive due to global supply chain issues.
PECM was engineered through a solid-state fermentation process, developed by the University of the Philippines-Los Baños’ Biotech Center, which enhances copra meal’s protein content to about 45 percent—comparable to soybean meal. The enriched copra meal has been successfully incorporated into the diets of finfish and shrimp, with feeding trials showing that including 200 kilos of PECM per ton of finfish feed and 100 kilos per ton of shrimp feed leads to a 3.9 percent and 0.4 percent reduction in feed costs, respectively, compared to conventional commercial feeds.
Sec. Tiu Laurel said the expansion of the PECM project to Western Visayas is expected to significantly benefit local farmers and feed producers in the region, who have been grappling with rising prices for traditional feed ingredients. “The program not only helps reduce feed costs but also supports the local economy by creating new markets for coconut by-products, which are often underutilized,” he said.
While COVID-19 has passed, the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues to disrupt global feed ingredient supply chains, keeping prices for essential commodities like soybean meal, feed wheat, and corn elevated. Russia and Ukraine together account for about 30 percent of global feed grain supply, further exacerbating the pressure on feed prices.
The PECM project is a collaboration between the Department of Agriculture (DA), the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development, UP Los Baños, and various farmers cooperatives and associations.
In 2023, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that only hog production in Western Visayas saw a decline, dropping by 23 percent to 158,471 metric tons. Conversely, carabao production increased by 3.9 percent to 17,159 metric tons, while Cattle production grew by 0.1 percent to 19,007 metric tons. Goat production also rose by 11 percent to 7,105 metric tons.
Meanwhile, chicken production in Western Visayas last year increased by 4.8 percent to 131,926 metric tons, while chicken egg output rose by 7.9 percent to 40,015 metric tons. However, duck production decreased by 1.9 percent to 2,722 metric tons, and duck egg production fell by 5.4 percent to 4,306 metric tons.
By expanding the copra meal initiative, the DA aims to strengthen food security, improve local feed production, and promote more efficient use of agricultural by-products in livestock farming.
** ALL SET na ba sa pagtatanim?
Alamin muna kung paano maiwasan na magdelikado ang batang punla.
Maglagay ng organikong pataba o carbonized rice hull sa kamang punlaan bago magsabog ng binhi. Mas malambot at buhaghag ang lupa kaya mas madali ang pagbubunot ng punla. Hangga't maaari, panatilihin ang tubig sa loob ng punlaan matapos tumubo ang mga punla hanggang bago bunutin. Tumitigas ang lupa pag natutuyo ang punlaan. Maglagay ng sapat na dami ng abono 7-10 araw matapos magsabog ng binhi. Tantyahin kung mahirap bunutin ang punla 5 araw bago bunutin. Kung mahirap bunutin, magdagdag ng kaunting pataba 4-5 araw bago bunutin. Ang pataba ay nagpapalambot ng lupa kaya mas maluwag ang mga ugat para mabunot.#BetterRiceCommunities
Source:
* https://www.da.gov.ph/da-expands-protein-enriched-copra-meal-project-to-western-visayas/
** https://www.facebook.com/DAPhilRice
Region 1 Ilocos Region
Forecast Rainfall (mm):
0 – 50
Rainy Days (0.1mm or more):
(>1mm): 2 – 4
Actual Soil Moisture Condition:
n/a
Range of Relative Humidity (%):
45 – 98
Min - Max Temperature (°C):
20 – 34
Crop Phenology, Situation and Farm Activities:
Crop Phenology, Situation and Farm Activities:
Land preparation is ongoing. Planting and transplanting of rice are still in progress. Rice and corn are in vegetative stage. Planting of corn is ongoing. Some rice are in maturity stage. Corn are in vegetative and reproductive stages. Growing of ampalaya, avocado, banana, batao, cassava, chico, chayote, chili pepper, coconut, coffee, guava, ginger, guyabano, jackfruit, malunggay, mango, mustard, mushroom, mung bean, okra, onion, papaya, patola, pechay, potato, squash, string bean, sweet pepper, sweet potato, taro, tobacco, ubi, upo, and winged bean is underway. Harvesting of alugbati, ampalaya, avocado, banana, batao, calamansi, carrot, cassava, chico, chili, eggplant, ginger, kale, kamote tops, kangkong, kulitis, lettuce, malunggay, mung bean, mustasa, okra, onion, onion leeks, pako, papaya, pechay, pomegranate, radish, spinach, squash, string bean, sweet pepper, sweet potato, talinum, taro, tomato, watermelon, and winged bean is taking place. Tobacco planting is underway, and grazing activities are taking place. In addition, fertilization, weeding, water management, mulching, and pest and disease monitoring are being actively carried out.
Prepared By:
MTR MEVT TAC ARL