By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
Making the most out of available water resources for farmers, the government continues to double down on improving irrigation infrastructure to maintain high yields across the country.
This, as President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. led the inauguration of the Alfonso Lista Pump Irrigation System (ALPIS) in Alfonso Lista, Ifugao on Monday.
The event began with a briefing on the irrigation project, unveiling of the project marker, and a guided tour of the facility’s control rooms and pump house.
In his speech, President Marcos Jr. shared some of the benefits brought by ALPIS to farmers in the Ifugao town, which include an uptick from 275 hectares to 2,300 hectares of irrigated land, which is projected to generate up to 26,000 tons of palay production, up from 900 tons.
“Ang magsasaka naman, ‘pag kinakalkula namin ang kita, ang kinikita bago mag-irrigation dati ay P16 million. Ito naman ay madadagdagan, imbes na P16 million ay magiging P159 million na ang kikitain ng ating mga magsasaka.”
President Marcos Jr., moreover, shared that the completion of these projects come as a timely response to the effects of the Super El Niño phenomenon, with the agriculture sector among the sectors most vulnerable to the impact of this weather event.
The Chief Executive concluded, “Asahan niyo na kami ay nandito upang maghanap ng lahat ng kayang magawa upang pagandahin ang buhay ng ating magsasaka, upang pagandahin ang hanapbuhay para matulungan kayo, mga pamilya ninyo, mga komunidad ninyo, at sa ganoong paraan, matutulungan ang buong Pilipinas.”
ALPIS consists of a conveyance system, service road, pumping facilities, and main and lateral canals that divert some water from the nearby reservoir of Magat Dam for the irrigation of 2,300 hectares of paddy fields in barangays Sto. Domingo, Namnama, Namillangan, and Calupaan, and catering to the needs of 1,315 farmer-beneficiaries in the area.
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