Farmland Irrigation Rehabilitation

NIA completes irrigation works for 87,000 has in ’08, says DA

The Department of Agriculture (DA) disclosed that the National Irrigation Administration (NIA)—its attached agency—rehabilitated irrigation facilities in 87,305 hectares of farmlands last year.

In a statement, Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said the scope of rehabilitation represents 95 percent of the agency’s target for 2008. The figure is also 45 percent of the 202,501 targeted for rehabilitation from 2008 to 2010.

Earlier, a DA official said it costs around P60,000 to repair and rehabilitate irrigation facilities for each hectare of farmland. At this rate, the government is estimated to have spent more than P5 billion last year for the task.

Apart from the repair and rehabilitation of irrigation facilities, Yap said that the government will continue to work on its existing irrigation projects.

These include the Agno River Integrated Irrigation Project and Malmar II, Kabulnan II, and Balintingon. Yap said studies on the feasibility of these projects are underway.

Earlier, the Ginintuang Masaganang Ani (GMA) program said in a statement the government is aims to repair and rehabilitate the irrigation facilities for 100,000 hectares of farmlands this year.

Dr. Frisco Malabanan, director of the DA’s GMA Rice Program, said the repair and rehabilitation projects this year would need around P6 billion.

The DA also reported that the Bureau of Soils and Water Management also generated 575 hectares of small-scale irrigation projects last year. At the same time, the government completed 1,200 kilometers (km) of farm-to-market roads.

This year, Yap said around 1,000 km of farm-to-market roads would be completed by the end of June.

The government’s focus on irrigation facilities and farm infrastructure is a component of the FIELDS program of the Arroyo administration that seeks to make the country “self-sufficient” in food.

President Arroyo announced the program during the “Food Summit” held last year, prompted by volatile price of rice became in the international market.

By Business Mirror

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