An inter-agency group has started a study and
review of the proposal of an Israeli-government backed corporation to build
6,200 units of solar-powered irrigation systems (SPIS) in the country, which
would be funded by a PHP44-billion loan payable in 10 years.
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel “Manny” Piñol said that
representatives of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), the
Department of Finance (DOF), the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the
National Irrigation Administration (NIA), and the Presidential Management Staff
(PMS) had a meeting last Wednesday at the DA central office as it presented the
SPIS and its benefits to the country’s food security program, especially rice
production.
Bureau of Agricultural and Fisheries Engineering (BAFE) director Cristy Pulido
said the proposed SPIS projects will irrigate 500,000 hectares of rice, corn
and high value crops.
The SPIS will also prepare the country for the next El Niño or prolonged dry
spell, which is expected to hit three years from now based on the current
pattern of occurrence, she said.
PMS acting chief Undersecretary Ferdinand Cui, meanwhile, expressed full
support for the proposed project, which was also endorsed by NIA Administrator
Ricardo Visaya, who said NIA has also adopted the SPIS in some of its
irrigation projects.
During the meeting, it was recommended that the DA and its bureaus, BAFE
and the Bureau of Soil and Water Management (BSWM), will conduct a planning
workshop with NIA to identify all irrigable areas in the country which could be
utilized for food production.
Piñol said these agencies will meet after the Holy Week to draft the National
Irrigation Master Plan to complement the existing program of NIA.
The agencies will then present the proposal to the NEDA, which will submit it
for review and approval of the NEDA-ICC (Investment Coordination Committee).
Piñol said participants in Wednesday’s meeting agreed that the SPIS proposal
must be fast-tracked so that if it is approved by NEDA-ICC, it could be
included in the 2020 budget of the DA.
Meanwhile, former DA Secretary William Dar proposed for the government to
consider inviting the private sector to invest in the country’s national
irrigation systems development.
Dar said solar-powered irrigation is good “provided there is water sources
throughout the year.”
Solar powered irrigation draws water from rivers and other water sources. If
there are no sustainable water sources, solar-powered irrigation will be
useless, he noted. (PNA)
