(Contributed photo)
LAOAG CITY – Irrigators’ associations in Ilocos Norte welcomed the increase in government incentives for helping maintain irrigation systems, saying the additional support would encourage greater farmer participation in keeping waterways functional.
National Irrigation Administration (NIA) Region 1 manager Geffrey Catulin said the incentive for the operation and maintenance of irrigation waterways had been raised from Php 150 to Php 500 per hectare.
Catulin said qualified irrigators’ associations receive the incentive after each cropping season upon submitting records of irrigated and planted areas.
The program recognizes the role of irrigators’ associations in maintaining canals and other facilities that support agricultural production and farmers’ livelihoods.
In Ilocos Norte, the Federated National Irrigators Association, led by president Novelio Corpuz, has received more than Php 9 million in cash incentives under the program.
Corpuz said the additional assistance would be particularly helpful to farmers whose irrigation facilities are often damaged by typhoons, heavy rains and flooding.
He added that the higher incentive would give farmers more reason to take an active role in maintaining and protecting irrigation systems in their communities.
NIA said it is also accelerating the repair and rehabilitation of irrigation facilities damaged by severe weather to restore water supply to affected agricultural areas, while promoting shared responsibility between the government and farming communities.
