NEDA clears P19.7-billion irrigation project

MANILA, Philippines - Three irrigation projects worth a combined P19.7 billion were approved by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board last week.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said in a statement that the three projects, which form part of the P133-billion worth of projects approved by the NEDA Board last week, are expected to help the government achieve its goal of rice self-sufficiency by the end of 2013.

The three projects include the Jalaur River Multipurpose Irrigation Project - Phase II in Iloilo worth P11.2 billion, the Casecnan Multipurpose Irrigation and Power Project - Phase II in Nueva Ecija and Tarlac amounting to P7 billion; and the Umayam River Irrigation Project in Agusan del Sur valued at P1.5 billion.

The agriculture department said the Jalaur irrigation project in Iloilo will irrigate a total of 31,840 hectares and will benefit 30,000 farm-families in six towns once it is completed.

National Irrigation Administration (NIA) administrator Antonio Nangel said the project is expected to be completed in five years.

“Thereafter, farmers will be able to increase their palay production from 3.6 metric tons (MT) to five MT per hectare during the wet season, and from 3.4 MT to 5.5 MT per hectare during the dry season,” he said.

The second phase of the Casecnan irrigation project, meanwhile, will cover a total of 60,321 hectares.

The project is expected to benefit 36,900 farm-families after it is completed.

The Umayam River Irrigation Project in Agusan del Sur, the Agriculture department said, will irrigate 6,729 hectares of new areas in the towns of La Paz and Loreto, and will benefit 6,000 farm-families.

Nangel said the three irrigation projects would allow the country to produce 823,120 MT of palay worth P14 billion on top of the annual harvest at a conservative average harvest of four tons of palay per hectare in every cropping.

Alcala said the three irrigation projects which will enable farmers to plant and harvest twice a year will not only support the country’s palay production but will also allow farmers to get higher income.

“Definitely this is a big push towards our target to provide sufficient and sustainable rice supply for the entire nation,” he said.

“Further, the three irrigation projects and several others that will be constructed this year and in 2013 will ensure that the Aquino administration will adequately produce the total rice and other staple requirements of the country’s growing population,” he added.

Meanwhile, the NIA said in separate statement that the agriculture department is spending P260 million for the construction, rehabilitation and restoration of 60 small irrigation projects in the province of Antique.

The project, the NIA also said, is expected to rehabilitate about 1,589 hectares and bring normal irrigation to 6,165 hectares.

The NIA said the project will be implemented through a 70-20-10 counterparting scheme, where the NIA shoulders 70 percent of the total cost, the local government units account for 20 percent, and the beneficiary irrigators’ association covers the remaining 10 percent. The country is aiming to produce 18.46 million MT of rice this year.

The Philippines’ volume of rice output reached 16.68 million MT last year.