The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) has recently inaugurated and turned over 21 irrigation projects costing P1.173 billion to farmers and irrigators’ associations in Mimaropa.
The NIA said the projects will irrigate a total of 6,795.50 hectares of agricultural land in the region and is expected to benefit 1,784 farmers and their families.
NIA Administrator Ricardo R. Visaya led the inauguration and partial turnover of the P890.15-million Bongabong River Irrigation Project in Barangay Lisap, Bongabong, Oriental Mindoro. Started in CY 2012, the project was completed in 2021 with a service area of 5,859 hectares covering the municipalities of Bongabong, Roxas, and Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro, benefitting 1,250 farmers.
The agency also turned over 20 Communal Irrigation projects (CIPs) to the Irrigators Associations (IAs) of Mimaropa. Seven of these projects amounting to P156.2 million are in Oriental Mindoro, five projects worth P59.568 million are in Occidental Mindoro, four projects with an aggregate cost of P23.894 million in Marinduque, two projects amounting to P24 million are in the Romblon, and two projects worth P20 million are in Palawan. These projects have a total project cost of P283.66 million with a service area of 936.50 hectares and 534 farmer-beneficiaries.
NIA also announced that it has completed the construction of 333 solar-powered irrigation projects amounting to P1.517 billion.
The agency said the projects can generate 4,215.33 horsepower (hp) and also provide reliable irrigation water supply to 6,482.62 hectares of agricultural land nationwide.
Image credits: www.nia.gov.ph