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Friday, March 29, 2024

Free irrigation farmers’ victory

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THE Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas on Thursday said farmers would make sure there would be no more collection of irrigation service fees in 2017.

“Free irrigation in 2017 is a significant result of farmers’ decades of assertion and struggle for free irrigation. It’s actually long overdue,” said Antonio Flores, secretary general of KMP.

“NIA [National Irrigation Administration] must not collect anymore payment and the farmers must not pay anymore starting next year,” said Flores.

“We claim this as an initial victory for farmers. Farmers and irrigators associations have launched a nationwide campaign for free irrigation and formed the Pambansang Ugnayan para sa Libreng Irigasyon at Patubig to assert free irrigation services. Free irrigation is a necessary government support service to genuinely develop agriculture and foster rural development,” Flores said.

The national government announced an additional P2.3 billion was allotted to the National Irrigation Administration in the ratified P3.35-trillion budget that is due for signing by President Rodrigo Duterte.

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The additional fund for NIA will be on top of the P30.4-billion allocation for construction of new irrigation systems and restoration and rehabilitation of existing irrigation facilities.

“Additional budget for NIA will relieve farmers from paying irrigation services fees, which is among the highest in Asia. We expect the NIA to issue operating guidelines and memorandum circular on free irrigation in the soonest possible time,” the peasant leader said.

KMP said it would also demand the permanent abolition of irrigation service fees and the condonation of unpaid back accounts of farmers and irrigators associations that have incurred millions in debt to NIA.

“NIA should also make significant efforts to improve their services,” the peasant leader said. 

Flores said only 1.8 million hectares out of the 4 million hectares of farmlands were with irrigation facilities but only 1.3 million hectares were serviceable or with irrigation water.

NIA’s performance in the past years had been dismal with the new hectarage serviced by NIA being only 2 percent of 3 million hectares per year.

Irrigation service fee paid by farmers per cropping in Central Luzon ranges from P2,700 per hectare during wet season and P3,500 per hectare during dry season. 

In Bicol, NIA is collecting as high as P6,000 per hectare per cropping.

“Free irrigation will help reduce the production cost shouldered by farmers. An accelerated irrigation program is also necessary to increase the productivity and annual yield of farmers,” Flores said.

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