DA plots crucial sites for solar-powered irrigation project

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is drawing a national irrigation map (NIM) to identify the areas where its P44-billion solar irrigation project could be set up.

Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said on his Facebook page that the NIM would identify the first 500,000 hectares (ha) where 6,200 units of solar-powered irrigation systems (SPIS) could be established.

The map would also plot about 2 million ha of farm lands identified by its regional offices as “undulating and slightly sloping,” but which could be used for rice farming with available irrigation water.

Currently, there are about 3.9 million ha of rice farming areas in the country, of which only 1.2 million ha are reached by irrigation facilities, enabling farmers to plant twice a year.

In contrast, the remaining 2.7 million ha depend largely on rainwater and could only plant and harvest once a year. Yields in these areas are often low due to the unpredictability of water supply.

The SPIS project, considered as the agency’s flagship program, would be funded by an Israeli company called the LR group. It proposed to finance the P44-billion project through a loan payable in 10 years.

Piñol said Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia had “committed to prioritize the deliberation of the proposed project as part of the government’s preparation for the next El Niño.”

As of last month, the agriculture sector has already incurred P7.96 billion in losses and damage due to El Niño, with rice and corn bearing the brunt.

Losses are expected to rise following the state weather bureau’s forecast that the phenomenon will still persist in the coming months.