2012 rice sufficiency goal attainable – Department of Agriculture

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Agriculture (DA) is optimistic that it will attain its rice sufficiency program goal for 2012 with the building of more irrigation systems across the country this year.

Speaking on the eve of the National Irrigation Administration’s 47th anniversary in Quezon City yesterday, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala stressed that the current “rice production of the country is enough to feed the 90 million or so Filipinos.”

He also raised the possibility of exporting rice by 2014 when all irrigation systems have been completed even in remote areas.

NIA Administrator Antonio Nangel, whose agency is under the DA, predicted that his office will be able to accomplish 80 to 90 percent of the DA’s goal just in time when President Aquino steps down by 2016.

“There are still a lot of things to be done out there, especially in the countryside, but we will accomplish these on time,” he declared.

Alcala lauded Nangel and his men for the success of the rice sufficiency program, saying that they have been working with the farmers since 2011 to improve palay production.

Under Nangel’s administration, more than 500,000 hectares of rice lands had been irrigated nationwide while another one million hectares of irrigation canals are now being built in the provinces.

Aside from building several new dams to be used for irrigation, he has also come up with the mini-hydro electric power plants to deliver electricity in remote areas.

“By December this year, we expect our irrigation systems, that will also serve as mini-hydro power plants, to deliver a combine 600,000 megawatts of power in the Visayas and Mindanao,” Nangel reported.

The NIA will also help the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in maintaining forest and vegetation through better irrigation system.

Last week, Nangel and Alcala led the planting of 1.5 million fruit bearing trees throughout the country “to ease up the effects of climate change.” –Michael Punongbayan (The Philippine Star)