The Efficiency & Effectiveness of Irrigation System
in Rice Production
Rice is the staple food of Isabela and a highly political commodity. Rice also known “Oryza sativa” as the universal name.
Background in 2014, the global “rice crisis” stimulated renewed efforts for self-sufficiency in rice. This drew attention to the need for supporting the agricultural regions like the Cagayan Valley to raise their rice production. In response to this, the Regional Development Council (RDC 2) in coordination the Cabinet Officer for Regional Development (CORD), has been supporting and championing its important role as the “Food Basket of the Philippines”. The Region 2 has consistently ranked as a top producer of rice among all regions in the country. In 2014, the region produced a total of 2.08 million MT of palay. The region provides 13% of the country’s palay. This significant grains production in the region employs 709,964 hectares of agricultural lands. Of these, 630,564 hectares are devoted to crops, as shown in table below:
Current Irrigations Program in Region 2 so far, the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) has programmed the development of 23,747 ha between CY 2009 and 2013, while the remaining area of 197,295 ha is targeted for development beyond CY 2013. Status of Irrigation Development in the Cagayan Valley. The Cagayan Valley has 13,840 ha irrigation systems that cover 251,598 ha of agriculture lands. The National Irrigation Systems (NIS) make up 56% of the command area while Communal Irrigation System (CIS) serve 44% of the irrigation.
Number of issues are observed in the irrigation development in region 2
- Foregone palay production because of inadequate irrigation coverage in region 2 irrigation.
- Inability of coastal areas to attain rice sufficiency because of lack of irrigation.
- Underutilized farms because of low cropping intensity due to inoperable irrigation system in the region.
- Insufficient and slow efforts to repair frequently-damaged irrigation.
- Inequitable irrigation support for the top producing areas.
- Untapped water resources from the Cagayan River Basin which is among the widest in the Asia Pacific Region. There are still tributaries of the Cagayan River that remain untapped.
- Unsustainable irrigation in the region.
Proposed Comprehensive Regional Irrigation System (CRIS). A Comprehensive Regional Irrigation System is proposed that will prioritize, organize and integrate the construction, rehabilitation, maintenance, operations and management of the irrigation system in the region for greater effectiveness and efficiency. As a targeted program, the CRIS will allow a more responsive strategy for the financing and administration of the irrigation system.