
PH irrigation program
PRESIDENT Marcos has underscored anew the importance of irrigating the country’s farmlands to boost agricultural production in the Philippines.
Marcos made the statement during last Wednesday’s turnover ceremony of wheeled excavators to the National Irrigation Administration (NIA).
The turnover ceremony was held at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone (SBFZ) in Olongapo City, Zambales.
In a speech, President Marcos said that effective iririgation systems could boost local agricultural production by 30 percent.
He said the excavators would be instrumental in maintaining the 257 national irrigation systems and 10,144 communal irrigation systems.
Coming from the rice, corn and tobacco-producing province of Ilocos Norte, Marcos is known for advocating massive irrigation of agricultural lands.
This is not surprising because there is a need to protect our farmlands against drought and other adverse effects of the worsening of climate change.
It will be recalled that during his stint in the Philippine Senate, Marcos kept on stressing the need to accelerate irrigation development in the country.
“Alam na alam kasi ni Pangulong Marcos na kawawa ang mga magsasakang umaasa lamang sa ulan,” according to an elderly rice farmer in Pangasinan.
The procurement of the wheeled excavators is part of the three-year equipment re-fleeting program of the Department of Agriculture-NIA.
The P2.59-billion program is seen to help the country’s farmers in protecting their farmlands against drought and other effects of climate change.