DA extends farm irrigation assistance in Quezon

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Agriculture  (DA)  has extended farm and irrigation assistance to farmers in the Polillo Group of Islands in Quezon and Capiz province.

Recently completed were the repairs of communal irrigation systems in the  Polillo group of islands, in Quezon for which P9.4 million were spent. The National Irrigation Administration spent P8.3 million while the municipal government of Polillo provided counterpart  funding of P1.1 million.

The communal irrigation systems are located in the towns of Bislian, Anibong, and Burdeos.

Also provided to the Polillo Group of Islands  were P80 million-worth of farm inputs to enable farmers and fisherfolk in to increase their income.

The area covers the towns of Polillo, Jomalig, Patnanungan, Burdeos, and Panukulan.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso  Alcala said the  assistance will enable the towns to achieve sufficiency in rice, basic food staples and fisheries products.

The DA, through its Region 4-A (Calabarzon) will assist the five towns in crafting a medium-term agriculture and fisheries development plan or roadmap for achieving food sufficiency.

Alcala urged  Polillian farmers to coordinate with the  Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM)  to locate springs that would be tapped as sources of irrigation, and establishment of small water impounding projects (SWIPs).

The bulk of the interventions consisted of P54.7 million worth of crop and accident insurance coverage from the  Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC).

The DA through Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) also provided P14 million  worth of assistance in the form of thousands of coconut seedlings and livelihood projects under the DA-PCA KAANIB program.

Alcala instructed PCA Administrator Euclides Forbes  to set up a coconut processing facility in Polillo that will produce virgin coconut oil, coco sugar, water, and coir, among other coconut by-products.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) provided P5 million worth of fishing equipment.

Two barangay food terminals worth P2 million will be established by the DA’s Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service (AMAS), while P1.5-M worth of farm equipment (hand tractors, water engine pumps, and coffee dryer), native pig and chicken, and a training module was allotted under the DA’s organic agriculture program.

The DA High Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP) provided P1.7 million worth of farm equipment and various fruit seedlings (rambutan, lanzones, citrus, coffee and cacao), rootcrops (ubi), and assorted vegetable seeds.

The DA rice and corn programs gave P1.4-M worth of certified rice seeds (200 50-kilo bags worth P240,000), 150 bags of yellow and white corn seeds (P360,000), and dozens of farm equipment that included hand tractors, rice cutters, knapsack sprayers, collapsible dryers, and laminated tarps.

The  DA also provided in initial P62 million in farm inputs assistance to farmers in Capiz.

The funds from the DA rice (P56M), corn (P3.5M) and high value crops (P2.5M) programs will be used to procure farm machinery, equipment, inputs that will be distributed to qualified farmers’ groups.