Enough rice supply for this year Yap

TACLOBAN CITY – Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap reiterated that there is sufficient supply of rice this year.

Yap gave the assurance at a news conference at the airport VIP lounge here shortly before he flew back to Manila the other day after attending the First Regional Coconut Summit at the Hotel Alejandro.

“We were never in rice shortage as earlier speculated. Nagkaroon lang tayo ng rice deficit dahil nga sa kakulangan ng rice production (we just had rice deficit because of a shortfall in rice production),” he said.

Yap said the lack of irrigation facilities in some areas, particularly in Eastern Visayas, has stymied rice production, but the government is now addressing the problem.

“The DA has also been exerting efforts so that more irrigation infrastructure development could be implemented,” he said.

Earlier, the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) reported that about half of the irrigation facilities in Eastern Visayas need repairs.

NIA regional manager Romeo Quiza said earlier that out of the 56,000 hectares of irrigated farmlands in the region, only around 23,000 hectares get enough irrigation.

“Some canals and structures are damaged. Water cannot be delivered to certain areas because the facilities need rehabilitation,” Quiza said.

Quiza said the NIA hopes to complete the upgrading of 90 percent of the region’s irrigation facilities by 2010.

The NIA regional office here is still waiting for the disbursement of the P300-million budget for the rehabilitation of irrigation systems this year, he said.

“Budgetary constraint is the major concern that hinders the government from maintaining the status of our existing irrigation systems. We also have a problem with the collection of irrigation service fees because the farmers here are poor,” he added.

In a recent Regional Development Council meeting, local officials criticized the DA for “inaccurately reporting” that 95 percent of Leyte rice lands are adequately irrigated.

“If we want to get funding support from the central government, we have to tell national officials what’s the reality. Even in our town, many farms are rain-fed. There’s no irrigation,” said Leyte Mayor’s League president Roque Tiu of Tanauan town.