National Irrigation Authority (NIA) administrator Eduardo Guillen said the additional P40 billion that Congress realigned for the 2024 budget of the agency will irrigate an additional 57,000 hectares of rice fields with an estimated yield of 570,000 metric tons (MT) for the next cropping season.
“And if computed conservatively at P19 per kilo, it can generate P10.83-billion per year, with a payback period of four years or less,” Guillen said over the weekend.
“We thank Congress, especially Speaker Martin Romualdez, for valuing the connected issues of food security, palay production and irrigation. This is a wise investment on Philippine agriculture, the Filipino farmer and, ultimately, the average Filipino rice consumer,” he said in a statement.
The P40 billion, Guillen said, will also play a crucial role in addressing both climate change and sustainability concerns.
The planned installation of solar-powered pump irrigation systems will revolutionize then country’s irrigation coverage, reaching previously inaccessible areas while mitigating the impending effects of climate patterns like El Niño.
The small committee tasked by the House of Representatives to amend the proposed P5.768-trillion national budget for 2024 realigned a total of P194-billion to fight inflation and “invest in people and the country’s future.”