The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) and the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center has signed an agreement that will allow the agency to maximize the utilization of its irrigation’s assets.
NIA Acting Administrator Eddie Guillen and PPP Center Executive Director Ma. Cynthia Hernandez signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to obtain the optimal value of NIA’s resources through PPP.
Furthermore, the partnership is to engage on other financial and revenue-generating activities that will strengthen the agency’s viability as a government-owned and -controlled corporation (GOCC).
On December 31, 2021, NIA has recorded 65.28 percent of the total 3.12 million hectares of irrigable land nationwide.
With around 1 million hectares remaining to be developed, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. aims to revitalize the country’s irrigation sector.
Thus, NIA eyes PPP to fast track irrigation development, which will further sustain the irrigation needs of greater Filipino farmers and will ultimately answer the President’s call to strengthen food security.
NIA data showed that the agency has identified 50 potential projects for PPP with seven revenue streams, namely, hydroelectric power, solar power, aquaculture, wind energy, bulk water supply, water treatment and carbon credits.
Moreover, PPP is not new in the agency. The Casecnan Multipurpose Irrigation and Power Project (CMIPP) located in Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija is a PPP project implemented by NIA.
The project generates electricity through the 150-megawatt hydroelectric power plant and divert water through a 26.27-kilometer underground tunnel into the Pantabangan Reservoir.
In September 2022, NIA is pushing for PPPs for around P800 billion worth of irrigation projects nationwide.
With PPP’s focus on reduced costs, better risk allocation, faster implementation, improved services, and possible generation of additional revenue, the NIA is calling on the private sector for the much-needed investments in the agriculture sector.
