How far do we go? SOLAR IRRIGATION SYSTEM OPENED IN AGUSAN DEL SUR

By Manny Piñol

Veruela, Agusan del Sur – The first Solar-Powered Irrigation System in the Caraga Region was commissioned in a remote farming village in this former New People’s Army (NPA) stronghold in Agusan del Sur today.

The Sinobong SPIS in Veruela town is one of the four units of the modern irrigation facility completed in the region as the Department of Agriculture (DA) aggressively implements the Small Irrigation Systems Program.

The DA is relying on Solar Powered Irrigation Systems which could be completed in three months in expanding rice areas in areas South of Luzon as part of its “Southern Swing.”

The “Southern Swing” initiative targets the development of 300,000-hectares of un-utilized or under-utilized farms in areas South of Luzon to compensate for the damage suffered by Northern Luzon farms from typhoons.

A total of 169 units of the SPIS have either been completed or nearing completion all over the country.

The Sinobong SPIS was completed in a record time of three months allowing farmers covering about 60 hectares to be able to catch up with the planting season now.

DA Caraga Regional Director Abel James Monteagudo said that the facility with an original budget of P6-M could be expanded to cover at least 100 hectares.

This could be done by extending the water distribution pipes by another 300 meters.

Veruela Mayor Myrna Mondejar and her husband, Salimar who was also Mayor of the town, said the Solar Irrigation Project has a big impact on the farmers in the town, many of them influenced by the NPA for many years.

I personally saw the reaction of the farmers who started working in their fields when water flowed.

The Sinobong SPIS is located in an interior area without a farm to market road and I had to take a motorcycle which passed through dikes and banana and rubber farms to get there.

It was another emotional experience for me as I saw how the poor farmers appreciated the presence of a ranking government official in their midst.

During the forum which followed, I committed the construction of a 1.5-kilometer access road and a loan fund of P5-M which farmers could access under the Production Loan Easy Access (PLEA) Program of the Agricultural Credit Policy Council.

Additional units of SPIS were also committed for Veruela as the local leaders pledged to improve their rice farms’ yield from 4-metric tons per hectare per harvest to 6-metric tons.

#WalkingAnExtraKilometer!

(Photos were taken by Mark Piñol while I took the video while riding tandem in a motorcycle driver by Richel Galo.)

https://www.facebook.com/100004041456946/videos/pcb.1493614620783239/1493599997451368