Agriculture Secretary William Dar formally turned over the P24-million Small Water Impounding Project (SWIP) to the Arapaap Small Water Irrigation System Association (SWISA) on September 30, 2020 in Allacapan, Cagayan.
The SWIP, one of the largest of its kind in Cagayan Valley, will benefit 75 farmer-beneficiaries with a service area of 100 hectares.
“Dahil sa inyong tulong ay mas madali na sa amin ang pagtatanim ng palay at hindi na lang umaasa sa ulan,” Arapaap SWISA President Gilbert Soriano said after accepting the SWIP.
In his message, Dar stressed the importance of irrigation to farming.
“You need water and irrigation to be more productive,” he said.
As such, the agri chief assured the farmers that the Department of Agriculture (DA), along with its regional offices, will continue to allot a big chunk of the DA budget for irrigation projects nationwide.
Aside from irrigation, Secretary Dar underscored the value of rainwater harvesting technologies that are already being used in other countries to irrigate more farms for rice, corn, and even high-value crops.
“Sa India, 60 porsiyento ng kanilang tubig-ulan ang naiipon para magamit sa pagtatanim at iba pa. Samantala dito sa Pilipinas, anim na porsiyento lamang. Sayang ang siyamnapu’t apat na porsiyento na nasasayang at napupunta lamang sa dagat,” the secretary said.
He added, “Kung mayroon tayong malikom na pondo sa susunod na taon ay ilalaan natin sa pagpapatayo ng rainwater harvesting projects sa buong bansa.”
The agri chief also reported that the agriculture and fisheries sector grew in the second quarter despite the pandemic.
“Tumaas ng 1.6 percent ang sektor sa kabila ng pandemya. Ibig sabihin na kung todo ang suporta ng national government sa mga magsasaka at mangingisda, magiging sentro ng pag-unlad ng ekonomiya ang agrikultura,” he said.
He also recognized the hard work hard of the farmers and fishers to produce food in spite of the challenges of the pandemic.
“Sapat ang suplay ng ating pagkain dahil sa kanila,” he said.
He also emphasized the important role of local government units (LGUs) in supporting the initiatives of DA to make farmers and fishers more prosperous.
According to the Secretary, the country will recover from the impact of the pandemic with the collective actions of every Filipino.
“Babangon ang mga magsasaka, babangon ang mga mangingisda, bababangon ang mga nagnenegosyo, babangon tayong lahat,” he said. ### (RAFIS/AFID)
