By MARVYN N. BENANING
SHARIFF AGUAK, Maguindanao — The Kabulnan River Irrigation System (KRIS) in Tuayan, Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao, which used to be part of a battle zone between the military and guerrillas belonging to the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), is fast turning a large swath of land into a rice granary for the people of Central Mindanao.
Recently, participants of the recent Rice & Corn Information Caravan of the Department of Agriculture & Fisheries (DAF) at the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) saw for themselves the potential of the service area of KRIS, which is under the National Irrigation Administration (NIA).
NIA-KRIS project superintendent Engr. Suharto A. Singgon briefed the officials regarding the status, maintenance and operations of the system with a service area of 8, 983.84 hectares.
The system provides water to farms in Shariff Aguak, Mamasapano, Datu Unsay, Datu Saudi, Ampatuan and Datu Abdullah Sangki in Maguindanao, which has the best irrigation system in the region.
The dam providing water for the system, which officially opened on March 31, 1998, sustains the needs of farmers for two cropping seasons each year, from April to September or wet season, and October to February or dry season.
It serves 5,264 farmers and temporarily closes each March to compel farmers to follow the graphic map of NIA.
DAF-ARMM field operations director Keise T. Usman told officials of the Department of Agriculture (DA), PhilRice, Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR), National Food Authority (NFA) and Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), that problems on the rehabilitation and development of the dam site were directly addressed and solutions were formulated quickly.
Research and development director Dr. Salik B. Panalunsong suggested that DAF-ARMM help educate farmers on the proper use of the system and persuade them to pay irrigation fees promptly and thus help finance the expansion of coverage.
Singgon said that the rate of collection has a direct effect to the service of the NIA systems. He revealed that out of the 14 farmer-irrigators that were organized, only six are bound to contracts and added that KRIS is concerned about collection of irrigation fees, rehabilitation and the need for more farm-to-market roads (FMRs).
In response, Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) director Silvino Tejada said that the problems will be solved through the 5-point agenda of Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap.
DAF-ARMM assistant secretary Datu Haron U. Bandila suggested that farmers new farming technologies and techniques to increase farm yields. They should try the technologies applied in Luzon where 10 percent of the farm is intended for prawn production while the other is exclusively for rice.
DAF-ARMM Secretary Sajid S. Druz Ali said local government units (LGUs) and stakeholders should also be involved in promoting agriculture and fisheries to raise harvests and farm incomes while ensuring that consumers would get the best farm products in the market.
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