Farmers and fisherfolk groups are demanding the immediate release of government assistance as worsening El Niño conditions threaten crops, fisheries and rural livelihoods across the country.

The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) said government agencies must release the remaining funds for El Niño response as farmers face crop losses, declining incomes and mounting production costs.

Agricultural damage and production losses have reached P5.56 billion, while 223,497 hectares of crops have been damaged, including 41,164 hectares with total crop loss, based on Department of Agriculture data cited by KMP.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said 106 localities are under a state of calamity, affecting 388,375 people, or 104,149 families. KMP said Cagayan, Bicol, CALABARZON, Caraga and Soccsksargen are among the areas most affected.

“Agencies must immediately release the remaining funds for its El Niño response. The delay is unacceptable as the agricultural crisis is already worsening and drought threatens the country’s food production,” said KMP Secretary General Ronnie Manalo.

KMP said only P6.2 billion of the P45 billion requested under the government’s UPLIFT program has so far been released.

The amount includes P2.2 billion for fertilizer support and P1 billion each for farmer fuel assistance, fisherfolk fuel assistance, Presidential Assistance for Farmers and Fisherfolk, and fuel subsidies for agricultural transport or truckers.

Manalo said farmers want to know how much assistance has actually been received, when others will get support and how many will ultimately benefit.

KMP also demanded transparent accounting of assistance already distributed and a nationwide program providing direct production support before the worst effects of the dry spell are felt.

The group called for subsidized fuel and fertilizer, irrigation assistance and guaranteed government procurement of palay.

“We do not need promises of billions. What farmers need is actual, adequate and immediate support so they can plant and harvest food for the people,” Manalo said.

The Amihan National Federation of Peasant Women also warned that prolonged drought and extreme heat could deepen the agricultural and food crisis confronting farmers, fisherfolk and consumers.

Amihan said the Department of Agriculture projects rice production could fall by as much as 700,000 metric tons, or 3.5% of its annual target.

The group said peasant women face added pressure as crop losses threaten farm livelihoods while families struggle with the rising cost of food, water and other basic necessities.

Amihan criticized a recommendation to shift farmers away from rice because of its irrigation requirements.

Cathy Estavillo, Amihan secretary-general and Bantay Bigas spokesperson, said the recommendation would further weaken the country’s rice industry instead of addressing farmers’ needs and the food crisis.

She also called it “a great insult” to suggest that the food crisis could be addressed if people ate rice only once a day.

Amihan warned against greater dependence on rice imports as El Niño affects agricultural production elsewhere in Southeast Asia.

The group said declining production in major rice-exporting countries such as India, Vietnam and Thailand could tighten global rice supplies and drive food prices higher.

“We should not use El Niño to further deepen our dependence on imports. Importation will not ease the current crisis. Instead, it further underscores the need to strengthen local production,” Estavillo said.

Fisherfolk groups, meanwhile, warned that extreme heat could make fishing more difficult and costly for small-scale fishers already struggling with high fuel prices.

The Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA) said fish and other marine life move farther and deeper during intense heat to seek cooler waters, forcing fishers to travel longer distances and consume more fuel.

PAMALAKAYA National Chairperson Fernando Hicap said fish behave differently during extreme heat and move into deeper waters, forcing small-scale fishers to travel farther and spend more on fuel.

He warned that with fuel prices still high, small-scale fishers would no longer be able to cope with the changing conditions.

Fisherfolk in Zambales also raised concerns over health risks from prolonged exposure to extreme heat at sea.

Roselyn Regalado, president of the Subic-based Samahan ng Cabangaan 3 Fishermen’s Unity and a barangay health worker, said the looming Super El Niño poses a “serious threat to the health of fishers.”

She said several fishers in their town had already suffered heat stroke and high blood pressure while at sea, with cases not immediately addressed because of inadequate equipment and first-aid training.

PAMALAKAYA called for sufficient fuel subsidies, economic assistance for fishing families unable to return to sea, and the distribution of first-aid kits and first-aid response training.

Hicap said many fishing communities had only recently returned to sea after more than three months of the southwest monsoon and had yet to recover from high fuel costs.

“We have only just returned to sea after more than three months of the southwest monsoon. We have not yet recovered because of high fuel prices. Now we are again facing the destructive effects of El Niño,” Hicap said.

He warned that without a concrete and comprehensive government response, agricultural and fisheries production could fall sharply.