PLARIDEL, Bulacan – Farmers here warned of low rice production next year due to lack of allocation for irrigation despite rising water elevation at the Angat dam.
Records obtained on July 30 showed that water elevation at the dam climbed to 163.26 meters above sea level (masl), or 5.72 meters above the recorded all time low of 157.54 masl on July 14.
However, the said water elevation is 16.74 meters lower than the critical 180 masl or the elevation when allocation for irrigation is cut off.
Low water elevation at the dam led to the delay of planting on some 27,000 hectares of ricelands in Bulacan and southern Pampanga.
“Dapat at matataas na ang palay namin at this time of the year,” said Liza Sacdalan, president of the Central Luzon Organic Rice Producers Association (CLORPA) based in this town.
She said that cropping season usually start on the third or fourth week of June.
But lack of allocation for irrigation forced thousands of farmers in the province to delay their rice planting activities.
“Hindi natin masisisi ang mga magsasaka, dahil kung wala silang maaasahang darating na patubig, hindi sila magtatanim,” Sacdalan said noting that rice farming is water intensive.
However, some farmers here have literally gambled when they planted their rice land earlier this month.
“Merong mga sumugal na magtanim dahil sa umulan, pero hindi lang namin masiguro kung may aanihin dahil hanggang ngayon ay wala pang alokasyon mula sa Angat,” Sacdalan said.
She stressed that delays in planting will push the harvest time to December or January.
“Magtanim man kami ngayon at makaani sa Disyembre o Enero, kailan naman kami magtatanim para sa second cropping season,” she said noting that second cropping season usually begins on the months of November and December.
She also said “this means that if they plant rice by December or January, there is a possibility that they will lose their expenses as there might not be enough water to sustain crops by the start of summer next year.”
This situation is echoed by other farmers and officials of the National Food Authority (NFA) in the province which initiated intensive rice procurement since 2008 rice crisis.
“We have good procurement in the last two years, but we don’t know what will happen next year, kasi delayed na ang pagtatanim ngayon,” Serafin Manalili, manager of the NFA-Bulacan said.
This year, NFA-Bulacan has already procured at least 220,000 bags of rice.
He said that delays in cropping will affect their procurement, which will also affect their rice inventories.
This situation might lead to another excessive rice importation which President Aquino scored in his first state of the nation address last Monday.
Records obtained on July 30 showed that water elevation at the dam climbed to 163.26 meters above sea level (masl), or 5.72 meters above the recorded all time low of 157.54 masl on July 14.
However, the said water elevation is 16.74 meters lower than the critical 180 masl or the elevation when allocation for irrigation is cut off.
Low water elevation at the dam led to the delay of planting on some 27,000 hectares of ricelands in Bulacan and southern Pampanga.
“Dapat at matataas na ang palay namin at this time of the year,” said Liza Sacdalan, president of the Central Luzon Organic Rice Producers Association (CLORPA) based in this town.
She said that cropping season usually start on the third or fourth week of June.
But lack of allocation for irrigation forced thousands of farmers in the province to delay their rice planting activities.
“Hindi natin masisisi ang mga magsasaka, dahil kung wala silang maaasahang darating na patubig, hindi sila magtatanim,” Sacdalan said noting that rice farming is water intensive.
However, some farmers here have literally gambled when they planted their rice land earlier this month.
“Merong mga sumugal na magtanim dahil sa umulan, pero hindi lang namin masiguro kung may aanihin dahil hanggang ngayon ay wala pang alokasyon mula sa Angat,” Sacdalan said.
She stressed that delays in planting will push the harvest time to December or January.
“Magtanim man kami ngayon at makaani sa Disyembre o Enero, kailan naman kami magtatanim para sa second cropping season,” she said noting that second cropping season usually begins on the months of November and December.
She also said “this means that if they plant rice by December or January, there is a possibility that they will lose their expenses as there might not be enough water to sustain crops by the start of summer next year.”
This situation is echoed by other farmers and officials of the National Food Authority (NFA) in the province which initiated intensive rice procurement since 2008 rice crisis.
“We have good procurement in the last two years, but we don’t know what will happen next year, kasi delayed na ang pagtatanim ngayon,” Serafin Manalili, manager of the NFA-Bulacan said.
This year, NFA-Bulacan has already procured at least 220,000 bags of rice.
He said that delays in cropping will affect their procurement, which will also affect their rice inventories.
This situation might lead to another excessive rice importation which President Aquino scored in his first state of the nation address last Monday.
