NIA gets P587M for irrigation system rehab

The Department of Budget and Management has released P584.7 million to fund the rehabilitation of irrigation systems nationwide.

The project will be implemented by the National Irrigation Administration (NIA).

DBM Secretary Florencio Abad said the fund was aimed at giving the agriculture an additional boost.

The agriculture sector employs about a third of the country’s workforce, but contributes only 12 percent of the economy’s total output.

Low agriculture productivity is largely blamed for the 25.2-percent poverty rate in the Philippines in 2012, one of the highest in Asia.

“It’s been clear to us [government] that the agriculture industry needs to play a much larger role in the development of the Philippine economy, given the abundance of agricultural land and the potential for growth in this particular sector,” Abad said in a statement.

He said investments in irrigation were also meant to help the agriculture sector become more resilient to natural disasters.

The need to improve resiliency of the farm sector was punctuated by the devastation caused by Supertyphoon “Yolanda,” which hit central Philippines in November.

“Yolanda” destroyed farms in the affected areas, causing a temporary uptick in food prices in the past few months.

“Irrigation projects are not just comprehensive in scope but also responsive to the agriculture sector’s long-term requirements, the demands of our climate change agenda, and the ongoing campaign for inclusive growth,” Abad said.