PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. led on Monday, June 10, 2024 the inauguration of the Cabaruan Solar-Powered Pump Irrigation Project (SPIP) in Quirino, Isabela, one of the country’s first and biggest solar-powered pump irrigation project aims to support the agricultural sector.
In a bid to address rising challenges of energy costs in diverting water supply to farmlands, the Cabaruan project is expected to irrigate 350 hectares of rice field, benefitting almost 237 palay farmers.
In his speech, Marcos said the project is the government’s response to the country’s agricultural problems amid the impact of natural phenomena.
“Kung dati-rati ay gumagamit tayo ng mga makinang pinatatakbo ng langis upang dumaloy ang tubig mula sa irrigation canal patungo sa inyong mga taniman, ngayon ay pinagagaan na natin ito gamit ang kuryente galing na galing sa araw. Libre na kuryente na galing sa araw kaya’t maaari nating ibigay ang libre na patubig,” Marcos said.
(If in the past, we used machines powered by oil to flow water from the irrigation canal to your crops, now we are making it lighter using electricity straight from the sun. The electricity from the sun is free, so we can provide free water.)
“Napakalaki [pa] ng naging katipiran natin dito dahil, bukod sa libre na ang [pagkukunan] ng kuryente, inilagay mismo sa taas ng irrigation canal ang ating solar panels, kaya hindi na po mababawasan ang lupang tinataniman ng ating mga magsasaka,” he added.
(The savings we've achieved here are tremendous because, aside from electricity being free, we've installed our solar panels right on top of the irrigation canal, so the land cultivated by our farmers will no longer be reduced.)
Among the priorities of the Marcos administration is to ensure the country’s self-sufficiency in terms of agricultural products, especially in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Marcos also served as the secretary of the department of agriculture in the first year of his presidency.
“Mabuti na lang… mayroon na tayong bagong teknolohiya, itong solar. Dahil kung maalala ninyo, ‘yung ginagamit natin, mga pump, mga diesel, mahal ang krudo at mahal ang maintenance at saka maliit ‘yung mga bomba natin dati. Kaya’t ito ay napakalaking bagay,” President Marcos said.
(Fortunately... we now have new technology, this solar one. Because if you remember, what we used, pumps, diesel, oil, is expensive and maintenance is expensive, and our pumps before were small. So, this is a very big thing.)
Farmer-beneficiaries are expected to spend more in their electricity or fuel expenses by minimizing the use of electric or fuel-powered pumps and increase agricultural production with the ample supply of water coming from the SPIP.
The Cabaruan SPIP is a project of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) under the Mangat River Integrated Irrigation System (MARIIS).
It was constructed from July 6, 2023 to February 2024 with a total project cost of P65.77 million, consisting of 1,056 solar panels.
The system can produce 739,200 watts of power for its two submersible pumps, with each pump capable of discharging 12,800 gallons per minute.
It is expected to irrigate 251 hectares of farm lands which could benefit 867 farmers.
Marcos said there were a total of 152 solar-powered pump irrigation projects across the country in which 118 are funded by the government.
So far, 82 solar-powered pump irrigation projects were completed last year.
Isabela is the biggest corn producer and the second biggest contributor to palay production in the country.
Meanwhile, Marcos has urged the NIA to modernize and rehabilitate the Magat Dam, which was built during the presidency of his late father, President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr.
The Magat Dam, which is a major source of irrigation for 85,000 hectares of farmland in Cagayan Valley region, generating 540 megawatts of hydroelectric power, is threatened by continuous siltation, sedimentation, slash-and-burn farming, illegal logging, and fish caging.
“Inaanyayahan ko rin kayong pag-aralan kung alin pa sa mga irrigation assets natin sa bansa ang maaari nating lagyan ng power generation [facilities] kagaya rito o iba pang mga pasilidad upang lubos nating mapakinabangan ang mga ito at mabawasan ang gastos na pasanin ng ating mga magsasaka sa pagpapatakbo nito,” said Marcos.
(I also invite you to study which other irrigation assets in our country can be equipped with power generation facilities like this one or other facilities to fully maximize their benefits and reduce the expenses borne by our farmers in operating them.) (TPM/SunStar Philippines)