The cloud seeding operations in Negros Occidental are now being considered by the provincial government, to counter the dry spell which being expected to have adverse effects to agricultural crops, especially sugarcane, in the coming months.
“That is always an option, when there is a long drought we always request for cloud seeding. Maybe the time is also good now because as you can experience, there are rain clouds. In fact, we also experience some rainfall,” Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said.
The Department of Agriculture, Sugar Regulatory Administration, and the provincial government were earlier asked by Fifth District Rep. Emilio “Dino” Yulo II to prepare for eventual cloud seeding operations, in order to ensure that the sugar industry will not suffer from the extreme weather conditions.
Citing experiences in the past, Lacson said that the province can initiate cloud seeding with the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA).
As of this time, Lacson said he is still waiting for a report on the dry spell damage.
Yulo earlier said that the production estimate of the SRA at the end of the current crop year is only 1.9 million metric tons, lower than the domestic consumption which is approximately 2.3 to 2.4 million.
(Gilbert Bayoran via The Visayan Daily Star (TVDS) with reports from Philippine News Agency, photo courtesy of TVDS)
