LLANERA, NUEVA ECIJA — At least 125 farmers in this town stand to benefit from a solar-powered irrigation system that was designed to boost rice productivity.
The PHP7.2-million Caridad Norte and Sur solar-powered irrigation system (SPIS), a pilot project of the Department of Agriculture (DA), is set to be inaugurated next month.
Caridad Norte and Sur Irrigators Association chairman Roger Bautista thanked Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, through the DA’s office in Central Luzon, for awarding them the project.
“Through this project, we expect an increase in our harvest in the second cropping. Without an irrigation system, the farmers will no longer earn. It is a big help to have a solar pump because we do not need to use diesel,” Bautista said.
The SPIS, which is powered by solar energy instead of fossil fuel or electricity, consists of one or more solar panels, a pump, electronic controls or a controller device to operate the pump, storage tank and conveyance structures.
The technology could irrigate 50 hectares to 65 hectares of rain-fed rice field and can operate continuously for six hours daily. (PNA)
