28 September 2005
Governor offers help to NIA
LINGAYEN – Gov. Victor E. Agbayani said Tuesday that the provincial government is working out a formula with the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) for the province to undertake the repair of dilapidated irrigation facilities and later turn the facilities over to the farmers for their use and supervision.
Agbayani said several groups of farmers have complained to him that they are asked by NIA to pay monthly amortization for the use of irrigation facilities that are however no longer functioning effectively.
Most of the irrigation systems were built by NIA some thirty years ago. It was learned that the service fees being collected by the agency are mainly used to pay salaries of employees and hardly any sum is allotted for the repair and maintenance of the irrigation facilities.
The understanding was for NIA to build the irrigation dams and farmers will pay service fees. Through the years however, many of the facilities have been rendered ineffective due to lack of maintenance work.
“Many of the farmers find it difficult to pay the service fees due to poor harvest,” Agbayani said.
The governor proposed that the province will rehabilitate the dilapidated NIA irrigation facilities on condition that part of the service fees to be paid by the farmers would be retained for maintenance.
NIA personnel who try to collect, the dues at present are either flatly rejected by farmers or worse, chased out of the barangays, according to the agency’s information officer.
The province has been constructing communal irrigation system and small water impounding projects which are now serving over 10,000 hectares of farmland in the province.
Agbayani said several groups of farmers have complained to him that they are asked by NIA to pay monthly amortization for the use of irrigation facilities that are however no longer functioning effectively.
Most of the irrigation systems were built by NIA some thirty years ago. It was learned that the service fees being collected by the agency are mainly used to pay salaries of employees and hardly any sum is allotted for the repair and maintenance of the irrigation facilities.
The understanding was for NIA to build the irrigation dams and farmers will pay service fees. Through the years however, many of the facilities have been rendered ineffective due to lack of maintenance work.
“Many of the farmers find it difficult to pay the service fees due to poor harvest,” Agbayani said.
The governor proposed that the province will rehabilitate the dilapidated NIA irrigation facilities on condition that part of the service fees to be paid by the farmers would be retained for maintenance.
NIA personnel who try to collect, the dues at present are either flatly rejected by farmers or worse, chased out of the barangays, according to the agency’s information officer.
The province has been constructing communal irrigation system and small water impounding projects which are now serving over 10,000 hectares of farmland in the province.
