Solar-powered irrigation to boost rice productivity in Sibalom
The R5.68-million worth solarpowered irrigation system (SPIS) recently completed in Brgy. Panlagangan, Sibalom, Antique targets to increase farmers’ average yield from 3.7 metric tons to 4.5 metric tons per hectare.
In the Biyaheng Bukid held in Culasi last March 2017, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol committed a solar irrigation project to municipal agriculturist Albert Estoya upon hearing that irrigation for rainfed and upland areas is their primary concern.
The town has the largest rice producing areas and is tagged as Antique’s rice bowl.
“We have a total rice area of 6,675.39 hectares in which 3,637.58 hectares are irrigated, 2,550.55 hectares rainfed, and 487.26 hectares are upland,” said Estoya who went on sharing that they have produced 34,192.33 metric tons of palay from irrigated areas and 8,791 metric tons from rainfed farms last year.
The Department of Agriculture (DA)funded SPIS in Brgy. Panlagangan has a total service area of 30 hectares rainfed rice land. This SPIS has 100 solar panels that can generate up to 27 kilowatts electricity which is enough to irrigate up to three hectares of rice areas daily.
“We have trained operators who will control the delivery schedule of water to every farmer. As agreed in our meeting, we target to irrigate two to three hectares daily,” said Estoya.
On the other hand, Samuel Cordero Sr., chairman of Sibalom Alliance of Rural
Based Organization (SARBO) said that their group will manage the operation and sustainability of the project.
SARBO is composed of 72 registered farmers associations in Sibalom with more than 5,000 farmer-members.
“Before this project, we just rely on rainwater. This solar powered irrigation will help us a lot. For one, we don’t need to spend on diesel fuel. Second, job will be faster since it could generate energy even at night,” Cordero shared.
DA Agricultural Program Coordinating Officer for Antique Dominador Marquez said another SPIS units will be put up soon in Brgy. San Pedro, San Jose.
“Apart from that, our engineering team has ongoing site validation for possible solar irrigation projects in Tobias Fornier
and Patnongon,” he added.
The DA constructed the demonstration model of SPIS at Western Visayas Integrated Agricultural Research Center in Jaro, Iloilo City last year.
“Actually, this SPIS in Brgy. Panlagangan is the first solar-powered irrigation project constructed in the region that will directly benefit the rice farmers,” said Marquez who went on sharing that DA has ongoing construction of SPIS in other parts of the region such as in Brgy. Dapitan, Pototan, and Brgy. Igcocolo, Dingle in Iloilo.
Sibalom mayor Joel Occeña instructed the municipal agriculture office to make another proposal for similar irrigation project which he deemed very effective in boosting rice farmers’ productivity.
“Since I can see that this is the best project of DA here, we are willing to look for funds from our local budget to construct more units of solar-powered irrigation projects here in Sibalom,” he said.
(By Sheila Mae H. Toreno/DA-RAFIS 6)