The Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Office 10 (DA-10) awarded to the Central Mindanao University (CMU) the Solar-Powered Irrigation System (SPIS) established inside the campus at Barangay Dolomog in Maramag, Bukidnon on November 28, 2018.

Agriculture Secretary Manny F. Piñol together with Undersecretary for High Value Crops and Rural Credit Evelyn G. Laviña and DA-10 Regional Director Carlene C. Collado led the launching ceremony of the water system valued at P8.6 million (M).

“We (the government) should walk extra kilometers to know the real problems of our farmers. We have access to sunlight and our farmers need water, and so we come up with the SPIS,” Piñol explained.

The CMU SPIS is expected to increase the average yield by 4 metric tons (MT) instead of 2.5 MT average yield, recorded in Bukidnon. It is composed of 60 solar modules and powered up by 315 watts. This will irrigate 66 ha land area.

The SPIS aims to irrigate 500,000 hectares (ha) of rainfed production areas for rice in the country over the next four years.

“Our main focus is to increase productivity, and take advantage of the huge demand in the world market,” Piñol said.

Currently, DA-10 has completed 14 irrigation projects with 39 ongoing projects.

“We are targeting to construct 169 SPIS all over the country,” Piñol said.

During the ceremony, the Secretary presented the current credit programs the department namely: Production Loan Easy Access (PLEA) and Farm Mechanization Loaning Program, both under the Agricultural Credit Policy Council. ### (Kristel Merle, DA-AFID)