THE newly constructed Candaba Solar Irrigation Project is now ready for turnover to its beneficiaries following the strict testing and scrutiny made by the Agricultural Machinery Testing and Evaluation (AMTEC) – the country’s premiere and reference testing center of agricultural and fisheries machinery.
Because of this, the Regional Field Office 3 of the Department of Agriculture (DA-RFU-3) says the newly constructed Candaba Solar Irrigation Project is now ready for use.
Farmers in Barangay Bambang, Candaba, Pampanga, where the irrigation facility was constructed, will directly benefit from the irrigation project that was facilitated by the DA-RFU-3, and monitored by DA-3 Engineer Elmer Tubig, and project-in-charge Alfred Antonio.
The DA, under the helm of Secretary William D. Dar, continuous to pursue a development framework under its “New Thinking for Agriculture” agenda, which is built around eight paradigms designed to increase productivity and profitability of farmers and fishers through sustainable, globally-competitive and climate-resilient technologies and practices.
The solar-powered facility is expected to enhance and sustain the productivity of the rice and vegetable farmers in Barangay Bambang who are members of the Bambang Multi-Purpose Cooperative (BMC) led by its chairman Baltazar Payawal Jr.
The project was successfully completed through the concerted efforts of the DA-Regional Field Office 3 under Regional Technical Director Crispulo G. Bautista, Jr., which was constructed and installed by Bacolod City-based R.U. Foundry and Machine Shop Corporation (RUFMSC).
The facility that was constructed on a portion of land owned by BMC Board of Directors member Benny Lico, is composed of 108 solar panels, a reliable 25-horsepower submersible pump, top-of-the-line electronic control devices, storage tank, control gauges, and distribution pipelines.
The solar panels were installed on precision-engineered aluminum frames which can withstand extreme weather conditions.
The solar-powered irrigation facility is expected to supply the water requirements to irrigate more than 50 hectares of farmlands in the barangay.
A representative of RUFMSC says that if a rotation basis of water distribution will be adopted by BMC, the solar-powered facility is capable of supplying the irrigation requirements of more farmers in the barangay whose farmlands are located near or around the facility.
The project was completed through the expertise of RUFMSC’s project engineer Fred Lista, civil works engineer Marvin Gonzaga, and operations supervisor for Luzon Felix Manocay.
The reliability of the Candaba Solar Irrigation Project is backed by RUFMSC’s long experience in installing solar-powered irrigation facilities throughout the country.
Access to irrigation water is the key for small scale farmers in order to sustain their livelihoods and contribute to the government’s objective of attaining food security in the country.
In most agricultural areas in the Philippines, the availability of irrigation water will depend on monsoon rains, or available power needed to operate water pumps.
With lack of electricity, diesel-operated water pumps are usually used to pump water for irrigation purposes.
Thus, solar-powered irrigation system is a very promising solution to help attain sustainable agriculture in the country, which enables farmers to shift from expensive and pollution-causing diesel-powered pumps towards having sustainable and efficient water sources./PN
