AGRICULTURE Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. has underscored the benefits of the nearly completed P19.7 billion Jalaur River Multipurpose Project (JRMP) on rice production and on the livelihood of some 25,000 farmers and 4,500 indigenous people in Iloilo province.
“This project, which we expect to complete within the year and be fully operational by mid-2025, will greatly contribute to President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s vision of increasing food production and helping our farmers have better lives,” Laurel said.
The Agriculture secretary visited on Wednesday the nearly-completed second phase of the centerpiece project of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA).
The project will irrigate an additional 9,500 hectares of rainfed farms on top the existing 22,340 hectares, thus increasing rice output in Iloilo by 71 percent to 338,000 metric tons.
The project is also equipped with a 6.6-megawatt power generation, bulk water, fishery, tourism, flood control, housing for indigenous people, and carbon sequestration components.
The watershed and buffer zone management of JRMP II involves 17,290 hectares that will be reforested to generate carbon credits that could be sold and help fund other projects.
The canal system of JRMP II extends 80 kilometers and involves three dams and a hydroelectric power plant. By end-January 2024, the overall physical accomplishment is already at 74 percent while the financial accomplishment is at 70 percent.
The project is a collaboration among 28 national agencies and local government units with project funding provided by government of South Korea, through the Korea Eximbank and the Economic Development Cooperation Fund of Korea.
The Jalaur River Basin is the second largest of such resource in Panay Island, providing irrigation to Iloilo, reputedly the food basket and rice granary of Western Visayas.
Iloilo emerged in 2023 as the fifth largest rice producer—behind Nueva Ecija, Isabela, Pangasinan and Cagayan—with total output of 1.07 million metric tons from 1.02 million metric tons in 2022.