MANILA, Philippines — The govt plans to expand solar-powered irrigation systems as part of efforts to cut farming costs, strengthen food security and modernize the country’s irrigation network, acting Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said Sunday.
Recto said the Solar-Powered Pump Irrigation Program (SPIP), administered by the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), is being expanded to 10,000 sites nationwide by 2030.
NIA operates 4,036 SPIP sites in 43 provinces, including 2,147 in Luzon, 1,102 in Visayas and 787 in Mindanao.
“President Bongbong’s directive is to ensure that farmers have reliable irrigation without having their earnings eaten up by irrigation costs. As the effects of climate change intensify, we will build systems that can be relied upon during droughts, withstand disasters and genuinely strengthen the livelihoods of our farmers,” Recto said in a statement.
Under NIA’s Vision 2030 roadmap, the government aims to expand the program to 10,000 sites, benefiting two million farmers, irrigating an additional 100,000 hectares and moving toward net-zero energy use in irrigation.
Solar-powered systems use renewable energy to run water pumps, reducing farmers’ dependence on diesel and exposure to fuel-price fluctuations. They also have lower operating and maintenance costs than diesel-powered pumps.
“This is a long-term investment in food security. Every peso farmers save on diesel can instead be used for seeds, fertilizer, equipment and other needs that directly improve their productivity and income,” Recto said.