BAGO City, known as the rice granary of Negros Occidental, is spared from the wrath of the mild El Niño phenomenon that hit five towns and cities in the province as reported by the Department of Agriculture provincial office.

Mayor Nicholas Yulo said on Wednesday, March 20, the city is lucky because of its abundant water resources.

But he shared that he is concerned for those local government units that are badly affected by the dry spell.

The Bago river irrigation system is the largest irrigation facility in the province and is located in the city.

“Although they do some rotation for maintenance purposes, like when the north side of the irrigation system is under maintenance, but it will still function again come May. The southern side of the irrigation will be up for maintenance by next year. Practically, the three crops can be done in a year. We already harvested rice grains lately and this irrigation is a big help to the city’s agriculture,” he said.

The irrigation system comprises 10,000 hectares meant for rice plantation.

Ninety-five percent of the city's agricultural lands have access to the irrigation system.

Bago is supplying 20 percent of the province’s rice requirement.