Dar to tap private sector in irrigation plan

The country’s new agriculture chief is planning to address the unavailability of water in agricultural areas through the construction of a million hectares of irrigation systems.

To do this, Agriculture Secretary William Dar is proposing to tap the private sector through investments under the BOT (build-operate-transfer) scheme.

In a press conference on food security on Wednesday, Dar said it would take 18 years for the government to construct the needed irrigation systems given its spending rate.

But allowing private entities to invest in the program could accelerate construction to be finished in six years, he said.

“We will start the process this year and hopefully, this will be put into action. We will target the policy first before we get into the details. Let’s hope the new policy direction will be accepted,” Dar pointed out.

The official said he was also inclined to continue the Department of Agriculture’s flagship project under Emmanuel Piñol—a P44-billion solar irrigation system that has the capacity to irrigate 500,000 ha of farmlands all over the country.

However, Dar noted that before any construction of additional irrigation systems, a year-round water supply must be ensured to maximize the returns of the project. He said systems must also be retrofitted to the needs of rural areas.

He cited data that the country gets 2,200 millimeters of rainwater annually, of which only 6 percent is used.

“Many of our farmers store rainwater for their livelihood. We have to do that on a massive scale in the country,” Dar said.

The establishment of new irrigation networks is crucial if the agency is to improve the sector’s productivity. Of the 3.9 million ha of available rice lands in the country, only 1.2 million ha, or 31 percent, are irrigated. —KARL R. OCAMPO