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Thursday, December 22, 2016
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ILOILO City – Small farmers could avail themselves of free irrigation to be implemented by the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) starting next year, according to Department of Agriculture (DA) assistant secretary for regulations Hansel Didulo.
Didulo said the national government included in its 2017 appropriations the P2.3-billion additional budget to NIA for the free irrigation.
He also said that Cong. Jose Panganiban, chairman of the committee on agriculture and food security in the House of Representatives, has already filed a bill institutionalizing the government’s free irrigation program.
“Through the institutionalization of the program, our farmers will get free irrigations every year,” said Didulo.
Currently, Didulo said NIA’s central office is working on the guidelines for the implementation of the free irrigation.
Included in the provisions of the bill is to bring back the control and supervision of NIA under the DA.
“The bill is already for signing of the President. Hopefully before the end of this year or early next year, it will already be signed because we really need NIA,” he said.
Further, Didulo said, DA secretary Emmanuel Piñol is planning to implement food consumption survey, provide additional post-harvest facilities and to integrate agriculture into elementary school classrooms.
On Dec. 20, Didulo opened his office in this city. This is expected to link farmers directly to the DA central office. (PNA)
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