Submitted by admin-r4b on
Palawan - To reduce the financial burden of small-scale farmers related to irrigation, the NIA - Palawan Irrigation Management Office (PIMO), headed by Division Manager Engr. Fidel P. Martinez, is continuing its efforts to make irrigation services free to farmers with the land of 8 hectares and below by conducting a campaign for free irrigation and condonation of unpaid Irrigation Service Fee (ISF) for farmers of the National Irrigation System.
The free irrigation campaign is meant to help individual farmers to apply for condonation of ISF to write off their back accounts or amortization from the book of the agency making it a substantial move towards security on their accounts.
Personnel from the Operations Unit of the Malatgao-Batang Batang River Irrigation System (MBBRIS) office and the Institutional Development Unit of PIMO are continuously coordinating with IAs to encourage each farmer to apply for condonation.
Senior Water Resources Facilities Technician (SWRFT) Arielyn T. Guanzon from the Operations Unit also encourages farmers with no back accounts to apply for a certificate of exemption from payment of ISF.
As of December 31, 2022, 875 out of 2,186 landowners of Malatgao and Batang Batang RIS were already applied for condonation. Palawan IMO is pushing forward to make irrigation services free to the rest of the eligible farmers.
SWRFT Guanzon also relayed to contact the office mobile number at 0908-810-8257 for the farmers of NIS in Narra, Palawan to understand more about the campaign and requirements for the condonation of ISF. She emphasizes that the free irrigation campaign is still ongoing and Operation Unit will continue to collaborate with other barangays to ensure that the benefit of this law/ program is accessible to the farmers of NIS and CIS in the province.
The NIA is committed to providing quality irrigation services for all farmers, through the said campaign, PIMO hopes for increased rice production in the agricultural sector through free and accessible irrigation services for farmers which aim to reduce operational costs and maximize returns on investment.