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NIA says to scrimp P80-B budget in 2024 amid cuts

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Job Manahan, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Farmers in Barangay Sumapang Matanda, Malolos, Bulacan plant seedlings in their farm lots at the start of the second planting season Thursday, September 14, 2023. Maria Tan ABS-CBN News" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/news/09/26/20230914-rice-planting-malolos-mt-7.jpg"/><figcaption>Farmers in Barangay Sumapang Matanda, Malolos, Bulacan plant seedlings in their farm lots at the start of the second planting season Thursday, September 14, 2023. <em>Maria Tan ABS-CBN News</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA — The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) on Tuesday said it would maximize its proposed 2024 budget of more than P80 billion in light of cuts in their original funding proposal.</p><p>NIA had proposed a budget of P132 billion for next year. The budget department, however, only gave the agency around P40 billion in the National Expenditure Program.</p><p>House Speaker Martin Romualdez, however, moved for an additional P40 billion funding for irrigation projects &quot;to support the President’s mission to increase agricultural production.&quot; </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/02/23/nia-called-out-for-unfinished-projects-including-dam-in-tarlac">NIA called out for unfinished projects, including decades-old dam in Tarlac</a></li></ul><p>NIA Administrator Eduardo Guillen said the projects they would rollout for next year were already &quot;shovel-ready&quot; and were for implementation. </p><p>Guillen noted that they would prioritize their convergence projects with the public works and highways and agriculture departments, which include irrigation infrastructure and improving farm input and yields.</p><p>&quot;Siyempre, pagkakasyahin lamang po natin iyong budget natin doon sa mga projects na allocated po doon sa budget natin,&quot; said Guillen. </p><p>(Of course, we will make do and spend on the projects allocated in our budget.)</p><p>&quot;Sa NIA kasi — siyempre irrigated na — sabi ko ibigay muna sa atin lalo na dito sa dry season iyong mga high-yielding variety para madoble namin kaagad iyong yield o iyong output ng atin pong production po ng bigas,&quot; said Guillen in a televised briefing.</p><p>The P40-billion additional budget, he said, would be allotted to fertigation— delivering fertilizers through irrigation water — projects and their alternate wetting and drying system, which they believe would help improve water supply by 30% even during the dry season. </p><p>&quot;So may fertigation na para kasi madali mong i-install ito eh… within a month to two months, to three months tapos na po iyong isang system,&quot; said Guillen. </p><p>&quot;Itong ibibigay po na budget sa atin ay sisimulan po natin iyong ating…mayroon tayong mga proposed projects, malalaki po – Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao at sisiguraduhin po namin na itong idadagdag sa ating budget ay makakapagsimula po tayo ng mga high dams ulit,&quot; he said. </p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2819001" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar"><em>Video from PTV</em></div><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><p>Senator Raffy Tulfo earlier scored the agency over its continuous failure to provide a reliable irrigational system to farmers.</p><p>Tulfo also questioned NIA’s request to be given an P800-million fund for the repair and maintenance of irrigation projects.</p><p>The Department of Agriculture earlier urged NIA to expand its irrigation projects to 2.2 million hectares of land.</p><p>But given the funding limitations, DA’s challenge is for NIA to cover at least 1.5 million hectares.</p><div><strong>— with a report from Sherrie Ann Torres, ABS-CBN News</strong></div>

The National Irrigation Administration had proposed a budget of P132 billion for next year.

NIA says to scrimp P80-B budget in 2024 amid cuts

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NIA says to scrimp P80-B budget in 2024 amid cuts

Job Manahan,

ABS-CBN News

Published September 26, 2023 03:49 PM PHT

Read More:

NIA

NIA proposed budget

National Irrigation Administration

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