Lingayen- - -Gov. Amado T. Espino,Jr. called on the leaders of the various Irrigators’ associations in the province to rank closer and be more judicious in harnessing all the available local water reservoirs to improve agricultural production and make Pangasinan the top crop producer in the country.
In a consultation meeting held at the Agricultural Training Institute in Sta. Barbara, the governor urged the farmer-leaders to now adopt new and tested farming methods and be selective as well in the choice of crop varieties to ensure quality harvests.
Noting that some farmer beneficiaries of the government’s comprehensive agrarian program have not been making a headway in improving their lot owing to lack of capital, Gov. Espino recommended that the farming community should go into planning sessions to thresh out resurging problems in production.
He also encouraged them to follow the cropping calendar to avoid problems on irrigation.
During the consultation, the farmers reported to the governor that most of the irrigation facilities turned over to them four years ago have not been functioning well thus resulting in scarcity of water flowing into the farmlands.
The Governor lamented the delay in the repair of irrigation facilities damaged during the series of typhoons that hit the province last year.
However, he assured that the “provincial government will do everything it can to restore the facilities in A-1 condition during the summer months.”
Anticipating the impact of the El Nino (long dry spell) phenomenon on the industry, the governor said a task force will be mobilized shortly to look into the possibility of tapping irrigation water from the various river systems of the province.”
Shallow wells like those installed during the past administration are not reliable tools during a long dry spell, the governor said.
The installation of the shallow wells, as well as the other irrigation facilities, was funded by a P300M loan from the Land Bank of the Philippines by the previous administration.
It will be recalled that in a dialogue with the irrigators’ associations last year, Gov. Espino has stated that the province will institute a ‘pragmatic approach’ to improve further agricultural development in Pangasinan. (PIO/Angie D. Villanueva)
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