DA irrigation rehab program covers 43,000 ha
More than 43,000 hectares of arable land have been covered by the continuous restoration and rehabilitation of irrigation facilities nationwide, the National Irrigation Administration said.
In a report to the Department of Agriculture (DA), NIA Administrator Marcelino Tugaoen Jr. said the rehabilitated and restored irrigation systems represent 78.72 percent of the target of 55,000 hectares for 2007.
The National Government has allocated P3.127 billion for the restoration and rehabilitation of national and communal irrigation facilities across the country for the entire year.
NIA expects that unserviceable irrigation facilities covering a total of 46,697 hectares or 84.9 percent of the target, would have already been restored and rehabilitated.
In the first semester of 2007, government released P5.497 billion for the construction of irrigation projects, and the rehabilitation and repair of irrigation systems. That amount represents 58.17 percent of the total budget of P9.419 billion for irrigation works this year, inclusive of the Calamity Assistance and Rehabilitation Effort (CARE) program.
Under the 2007 national budget, the total budget of P9.419 billion for irrigation includes foreign-assisted projects totalling P5.497 billion and locally-funded projects amounting to P1.903 billion, with the remaining P2.019 billion coming from other sources.
Higher spending for the construction, repair and rehabilitation of irrigation facilities in key rice-producing areas is important if the
Irrigation and other rural infrastructure is part of the agriculture department’s five-point program to boost productivity and make farming much more profitable for its small stakeholders.
These include increased spending for postharvest facilities, research and development (R&D), and extension work, expanding access to rural credit, and opening more domestic and overseas markets for Philippine farm produce.
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