The Upper Tabuating Dam to service 700 hectares this dry crop season. Contributed photo
CABANATUAN CITY – Another big-ticket irrigation project to step up rice production efforts was completed amid the quarantine restrictions due to the pandemic.
Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation System department manager Engineer Rosalinda Bote said the P878-million Upper Tabuating Small River Irrigation Project which was among the projects of National Irrigation Administration under administrator Ricardo Visaya will irrigate farms in Barangays Nazareth, Rio Chico, Bago, and San Mariano in the municipalities of Gen. Tinio and Peñaranda, Nueva Ecija.
Visaya is expected to lead the dam inauguration on Tuesday, May 25.
Officially completed last December, the dam has the capacity to irrigate the entirety of its target service areas of 700.87 hectares this dry crop season, Bote said.
Records showed a total of 91,182 cavans were harvested averaging 130.10 cavans per hectare using SL8 and Longping hybrid rice variety in its service areas.
This benefitted 223 farming families in the dry-run of water delivery during dry crop 2021, which concluded on May 7, 2021.
In a simple ceremony held on Oct. 29, 2020, parts of the project such as the Main Canal, Lateral A, Lat. B, Lat. B-1, Lat.B-2, Lat. C and Lat. D were partially turned-over to the three recipient irrigators associations represented by their respective presidents, BAGONA IA by retired Major Ruperto Buen, SAMASAKA sa BARRIO IA by William Bote, and Magsasakang Mapagpala Magiting IA by retired Major Pablo M. Pagtalunan.
The implementation of this project was carried out by NIA UPRIIS Division III formerly led by division manager Jose Ariel G. Domingo, and now headed by acting division manager Elenita L. Toquero, under the leadership of UPRIIS department manager Bote.
NIA UPRIIS remains committed to increase irrigated areas, and to develop and maintain irrigation systems in support to the agricultural program of the government, the official stressed.
