P467-M irrigation systems planned for Eastern Visayas

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines - The Department of Agriculture will build communal irrigation systems in 931 rice areas in Eastern Visayas in a bid to further boost rice production. These projects would need a total of P467 million next year, said Leo Cañeda, regional executive director for Eastern Visayas for the Agriculture department. "The project enumerates exactly how many more areas in the six provinces [of Region 8] which we can open up for irrigation systems. You may have all the rivers, waterfalls and plenty of rainwater, but if there’s no facility there that will bring this water to the rice field, there is no agriculture development," Mr. Cañeda told reporters here. Of the P467 million intended for small irrigation systems in 2009, P34.7 million will be for small water impounding project. Some P104.6 million will be for diversion dams in 51 areas of the region. This project does not impound water in a reservoir, but diverts water directly for irrigation. The bulk of the funds, or P313.2 million, will finance the construction of small water impounding earth dam structures that will be used to collect rainfall and runoff. The system is designed to provide irrigation for dry season crops and supplements available water for wet season cropping. Another system is the shallow tube well, which will need P14.5 million. It is made by driving a tube into the earth to a stratum that bears water. Mr. Cañeda said they have not determined yet how many hectares of rice farms will be supplied with water through these new irrigation systems. "These types of projects are close to the communal irrigation systems run by the DA [Department of Agriculture] in the past... it [sic] was lately turned over to the irrigator’s association but these were not maintained. We’re trying our best to rehabilitate these existing small irrigation systems," Mr. Cañeda said. The National Irrigation Administration regional office here said it has earmarked P210 million this year to restore various irrigation systems. The biggest ongoing irrigation project is the Help for Catubig Agriculture advancement Project in Northern Samar. Once completed, the government expects to open up a total of 4,500 hectares of newly irrigated farms. "When that happens, the Catubig and Las Navas area will be the new rice granary not only in Northern Samar but in the region as well," Mr. Cañeda said. Eastern Visayas has a total rice area of 160,000 hectares, but only 57,000 hectares are now supported with irrigation systems. The three Samar provinces have the smallest area backed by irrigation system at 8%. Eastern Visayas produced 948,000 metric tons of rice last year and is expected to breach the one-million ton mark this year. - Sarwell Q. Meniano, BusinessWorld