By JEN BAYLON

A Negros Occidental lawmaker has sought assistance from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) for the reconsideration of conducting cloud seeding operations in the province amid the ongoing drought.

Congressman Emilio Yulo III, during the distribution of land title certificates to agrarian reform beneficiaries in the province’s Bago City on Monday, April 8, appealed to Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III to convince the Department of Agriculture (DA) to allow the conduct of cloud seeding operations in the province.

He told Estrella about the earlier recommendation of DA’s Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) not to conduct cloud seeding as there were no “seedable” clouds.

He urged national government agencies to make an effort to study potential clouds for seeding, and consider the operation as a solution to alleviate the ongoing drought.

Yulo said local government officials, including from DA-Negros Occidental, are aware of the presence of rain clouds in the province.

He emphasized that local officials want to see national government agencies to take responsibility for addressing the concerns of the affected local farmers.

The drought has affected almost all local government units in Negros Occidental, reporting damage to agriculture.

“We have a responsibility as a local government to amplify the voices of our farmers and ensure that their concerns are addressed,” Yulo said in an interview.

The lawmaker also expressed his readiness to present evidence supporting the need for cloud seeding.

Meanwhile, Estrella assured Yulo that he would relay the lawmaker’s concerns to the DA.

Earlier, Yulo said the BSWM should allow cloud seeding operations in the province to save agricultural crops.

However, the BSWM did not recommend cloud seeding in the province, particularly for drought-hit areas, as current cloud formation “will not result in light to moderate rain.”

The bureau said there are possibilities that cloud seeding will affect 20,000 mango trees in the province’s San Carlos City and another 5,000 trees in neighboring Guimaras Island.

Yulo admitted that cloud seeding operations are a tedious process which entails bidding and procurement of the materials needed./JB, WDJ