Drip Irrigation System ANOTHER ISRAEL FIRM TO IRRIGATE UPLAND RICE, SUGARCANE FARMS

By Manny Piñol

The Department of Agriculture (DA) and a pioneering Israeli company in drip irrigation, Netafim Philippines, have agreed to establish demonstration farms for irrigated upland rice and sugarcane farms in several areas in the country.

The Upland Rice Farms which will be irrigated using the Israeli drip system will be established in Pigcawayan, North Cotabato and Saranggani, two provinces where farmers have been growing upland rice varieties like Dinorado for ages now.

The Sugarcane Farms which will be irrigated are located in Negros Occidenta, the country’s largest sugar producer.

Initial experiments using drip irrigation in Sugarcane Farming showed that farmers’ yield increased by more than two-fold.

With a national average production of 54 metric tons per hectare, a farm in Negros harvested 148-metric tons on the first harvest and 160-metric tons on the first ratoon, according to Netafim.

The DA will validate this claim by establishing its own Demonstration Farm.

Irrigating Upland Rice will be done for the first time.

Traditionally, upland rice yields would only be about 1.5 to 2 metric tons.

The DA and Netafim would like to determine the increase in upland rice yield when the farm is provided with drip irrigation.

Planting of upland rice starts March and April.