NIA assures enough rice

Supply ‘til next cropping

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol May 17 (PIA)-- Worse comes to worst, Bohol should still have enough rice to get past this El Nino season, even if only a fraction of its farms can get irrigation despite the drought.

Thus assure the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), considering that there is still enough water to irrigate portions of farms, and the state weather bureau now hinting the indications that La Nina could be in the corner.

At the recent Kapihan sa PIA, NIA, through Engrs. Aproniano Añora, Joselito Mumar and Andres Carnice of Malinao, Bayongan, Capayas and Benliw dams said they can still release enough water to last from land preparation to harvest, making sure that there is enough harvest that Boholanos can rely on.

Speaking a few days before the NIA starts to release its irrigation waters to 600 hectares of farms under its service area for its first release from Malinao, 1,030 hectares for the staggered release of water from Bayongan, 55 hectares for Capayas and 160 hectares for Benliw, for a total of 1,845 hectares of farmlands.

With this, Boholanos are looking at 3 to 6 tons of average yield per hectare, considering the drought affecting crops the most, a minimum of 5,535 metric tons on the very least.

But with full government support from irrigation, mechanized farm preparation, scientific farming, free inputs, and using cutting edge harvest and milling, experts at NIA still see a good cropping.

The initial areas targeted for irrigation however are those that rely sustainable water from the dams as of May 20, not counting any additional water inflow.

By the last week of May, rains brought about by a tropical depression has dumped considerable amount to farmlands and watershed in the agricultural lands of Bohol, adding water stocks in dams and substantially drenching the cracked farmlands to reduce water percolation as soon as the irrigation water flows.

And while farmers are now scrambling to get their farms ready for the next cropping season and the irrigation dams now releasing water, the Provincial Government declares state of calamity all over Bohol.

The declaration allows the local government to unleash the 5 percent share of its local revenues it generated and set aside as Calamity Funds.

The Calamity Fund is a lump sum fund appropriated to cover aid, relief, and rehabilitation services to communities and areas affected by the El Niño and can be used for the repair and reconstruction of structures, including capital expenditures for pre-disaster operations, rehabilitation and other related activities.

Of this, 30 percent becomes Quick Response Fund, which can be used for agencies to immediately assist areas stricken by catastrophes and crises.

The declaration, which some Capitol critics say was belated, however also gained support from communities who see that with the planting season starting, it would be too long a wait before they can recover.

“Our partners are farmers, most of them selling all their produce after the harvest season, now need to restock and replenish their supplies, the opening of the gates of government help from the calamity funds should be a great sigh of relief,” a key official at the National Irrigation Administration said.

It is going to be along fallow period, and only for those who have enough capital or farming inputs stored would sail through the end and by harvest time in the end of September or October, survive. With the Calamity Fund as source of government intervention programs, this will greatly benefit our farmers, Engr Evelina Putong of NIA said. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)