A five-year program being implemented by the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) to restore and rehabilitate national and communal irrigation systems covering a total of 368,000 hectares of land, has so far rehabilitated 103,568 hectares of land and restored an area servicing 122,909 hectares since 2006, at the cost of P7.27 billion.

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said the focus on irrigation and other rural infrastructure have yielded positive results with palay production expanding by 5.1 percent or double its average growth a year ago.

He said NIA’s rehabilitation and restoration work has allowed farmers to plant an additional 69,000 hectares of farmland or 5.7 percent more than last year.

He said such gains were the result of the increased spending on agriculture P25.36 billion in 2007; P36.55 billion in 2008; and P46.86 billion in 2009.

This year, the government has allocated P8 billion to restore facilities servicing 133,000 hectares and rehabilitate those covering another 68,000 hectares.

NIA Admininistrator Carlos Salazar said that aside from rehabilitating and restoring irrigation systems, the agency is also implementing a three-step approach to increase irrigated areas of farmlands.

The approach involves: 1) Quick turnaround or QTA program that encourages farmers to plant three times a year, or one more cropping between the dry and wet planting seasons; 2) Adoption of water management practices to maximize the available water supply; and 3) Organization and development of farmer-beneficiaries to increase their capability to manage and operate irrigation systems.