Agri chief orders review of solar-powered irrigation projects

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. has ordered a review of the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Solar-Powered Irrigation System (SPIS) Projects following claims that some of its units were either neglected or non-operational.

In a statement, the DA said Laurel issued the order following former Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol’s Facebook post about an SPIS in Mlang, Cotabato that was completed in 2020 but was not turned over to farmer beneficiaries.

With this, Laurel issued a directive to DA’s Regional Executive Directors (REDs) to conduct a review of the SPIS projects with assistance from the private sector led by Piñol.

The Agriculture chief, in particular, instructed the DA’s REDs to coordinate with Piñol in their SPIS review and assessment which covers:

• SPIS units which are fully functional and their impact on increasing rice productivity, including contributing factors to their successful operations.
• Non-working SPIS units and the reasons behind their failure
• Technical assessment of existing SPIS units, including recommendations on how to improve the program

Citing its records, the DA said there are more than 200 SPIS units constructed nationwide since its adoption as a DA banner program in 2017. —Ted Cordero/ VAL, GMA Integrated News