NIA allots P239 million irrigation funds to Kalinga

By Larry Lopez

TABUK CITY, Kalinga  - – The National Irrigation Administration allotted P239 million to boost the existing irrigation system in the province, according  to NIA  Administrator Claro Maranan.

In his keynote address during the 19th Kalinga Day Anniversary and Ullalim Festival Feb. 14, Maranan  said  the fund  is released in two tranches with the first release of  P119M  in 2014 and P120M in 2015.

He said the fund is intended to finance more irrigation infrastructure-support projects to scale-up rice production in Kalinga.

Maranan informed that based on the latest record of NIA, Kalinga has the potential to achieve an average yield of 10MT/hectare and  can become the country’s top rice- producing province.

At present, the province posts an average yield of 7MT/hectare as qualifier in the annual National Rice Achiever’s Award.

He said the province’s notable achievements in agriculture had moved the national government to pour-in more funds for irrigation here in line with President Benigno C. Aquino’s Rice Production Enhancement Program.

The projects when implemented would convert Kalinga’s remaining 18,200 hectare irrigable land as new rice production area, Maranan said.