P.3 B needed for rehab of CV irrigation facilities

By Charlie Lagasca

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya – Cagayan Valley, the country’s leading rice and corn-producing region, needs at least P300 million to rehabilitate its typhoon-damaged irrigation systems.

The National Irrigation Administration said the amount covers the repair of 234 main and small irrigation facilities destroyed during the recent onslaught of typhoons “Mina,” “Pedring” and “Quiel” in the region.

These typhoons, according to NIA, damaged a significant number of irrigation facilities in the region’s mainland with Cagayan accounting for 24 damaged irrigation systems; Isabela, 45; Quirino, 19; and Nueva Vizcaya, 145.

Engineer Vicente Galvez, NIA director for Cagayan Valley, said some of these facilities need immediate restoration in time for the next planting season for the region to maintain its level of rice and corn production.

Isabela is the country’s top corn producer and ranks second in palay yield. All in all, the region accounts for some 20 percent of the country’s total corn and rice production.

Galvez said the damaged irrigation facilities impact on farmlands totaling 36,817 hectares tilled by 32,508 farmers.