President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday assured the public of sufficient food supply particularly rice despite the current El Nino phenomenon.

This was made possible by the new farming techniques and improved irrigation system adopted by the government, Marcos said.

“Well, kung ang pag-uusapan natin ay bigas, sapat naman ang ating supply. Hindi kailangang mag-alala ang tao. Sa katotohanan, ‘yung mga area na may patubig, tumaas pa ‘yung ating naging ani, ‘yung tons per hectare natin,” Marcos said in a media interview in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro.

“Pero siyempre, marami pa. Kagaya dito, siguro mga 50 porsyento lamang ang irrigated at so, ‘yung iba talagang nahihirapan. Dito sa Occidental Mindoro, ang calculation namin, one percent lamang nung mga irrigated lands ang naapektuhan ng El Nino na talagang kailangan ng tulong,” he noted.

As a remedy, he said the government is fast tracking the installation of solar pumps in upland non-irrigated areas to boost production. He said the government is also building dams and impounding pond.

The National Irrigation Administration’s (NIA) goal, he said, is to widen irrigation coverage to enable farmers to plant crops, particularly palay, even during drought season.

“Marami tayong binigay, dinadala na post-harvest facilities para imbes na ginigiling pa ‘yung palay ? malayo pa ang dinadalhan, kung saan-saan pa dinadala ? dito na gagawin para malaki ang kikitain ng farmer,” he said.

NIA reported that among its assistance to El Nino-affected areas in the province are the deployment of three new long-arm backhoes and one wheel-type backhoe to all affected areas needing immediate canal clearing and desilting works.

Some 1,200 liters of diesel fuel were also distributed to farmers affected by the drought to subsidize the fuel requirement for diesel-powered water pumps in addition to 68 solar, diesel and water-powered pumps installed to irrigate 274 hectares of farmlands.

The agency also cited the construction of 18.06 kilometers of concrete irrigation canal along with 64 units of canal structures improving the delivery of irrigation water.

Some 7.6 kilometers of canal was also desilted by the agency to ensure unhampered water delivery and high efficiency of irrigation services to local farmers. Presidential News Desk