Sunday, October 9, 2016

NIA inks pact with San Fabian for sustained farm technology

URDANETA CITY -As agriculture is the biggest  user of fresh water, the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) inked a memorandum of agreement  with irrigators in Pangasinan to sustain the farm technology.

The tripartite MOA  was among the NIA, the local government unit of San Fabian and  the Federation of Irrigators Association of  the said town.

Engr. John Celeste, regional manager of NIA, said the three parties recognize that the Philippines is considered as one of the most vulnerable  countries in Asia to climate change.

“To mitigate the impact  of climate change in agriculture, the International Rice Research Institute  developed a technique to save and use irrigation water more efficiently and this is the alternate wetting and drying technology (AWD),” Celeste said during the communication advocacy network conference in Urdaneta City.  

He said LGU-San Fabian has been implementing the AWD and therefore needs to be sustained.   

“Efficient water management  is important for a successful  and sustainable rice production,” Celeste added.

Bernie Dispo, president of the Federation of Irrigators Association in San Fabian, was thankful for the continuous help of the government to farmers to increase their crop productivity as more than one-half of San Fabian residents are  in the agriculture industry.

Mayor  Constante Agbayani, for his part,  said he has always prioritized agriculture and the welfare of the farmers, being a farmer himself.

He said the LGU has allocated P5-million for agriculture and palay seedlings are given for free to farmers. Procurement of water pumps worth P100,000 is in the works  and farmers are  advised  to join Lakbay Aral tours to increase their knowledge on farming.  

 
“Whatever request that we can give to help you, ibibigay namin,  para magkaroon kayo ng magandang ani at kumita kayo ng malaki,” Agbayani told the farmers and stakeholders of NIA. (VHS/PIA-1, Pangasinan) 

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