Rehabilitated Pangasinan irrigation system to benefit over 1,500 farmers
A REHABILITATED irrigation system was recently inaugurated in San Fabian, Pangasinan, which will benefit 1,565 farmers by increasing their harvest.
The San Fabian irrigation system was launched on July 9 as part of the National Irrigation Sector Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (NISRIP) implemented by the National Irrigation Administration, Philippine Rice Research Institute, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
In a statement on Wednesday, JICA said the infrastructure will increase farmer yield to five tons per hectare from 3.7 tons during the wet season and to 4.8 tons against four tons during dry months.
“Philippine agriculture reported growth despite the pandemic, and this project can help enhance the potential of this sector in economic recovery. There are several other industries closely linked to agriculture and by helping raise farmers’ productivity through better infrastructure, the multiplier effect to the economy will be further realized,” JICA Senior Representative Ayumu Ohshima said.
In a separate statement, the Japan Information and Culture Center (JICC) said the San Fabian project cost P150 million and is included in the 6.187 billion Yen NISRIP, which includes 11 river irrigation systems across the Philippines.
“It will provide timely and reliable irrigation service to around 1,676 hectares of agricultural lands in the municipalities of San Fabian, Manaoag and San Jacinto,” JICC said.
The other provinces covered by NISRIP are Ilocos Norte, Pampanga, Quezon, Palawan, Iloilo, Bukidnon, Davao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat, and Agusan del Sur, with some 25,000 farmers as beneficiaries. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
