Lanao town builds LGU-Funded Solar-Powered Water Systems
The small town of Taraka, Lanao del Sur (Pop. 25,000) on Tuesday commissioned two of its six units of Solar-Powered Water Systems to irrigate some 700-hectares and provide potable water for its constituents under an Economic Enterprise Program which allows it to recover its investments. Taraka thus becomes the first local government unit in the country to operate a business enterprise by providing irrigation and Caraga INFOCUS
water services to its constituents, exercising the corporate powers of the LGU stipulated in the Local Government Code. The SPIS units will now enable rice farmers to plant twice a year and improve their production from 3.5 metric tons per harvest once a year to at least 8 metric tons twice a year. This will also mark the beginning of the Taraka Rice Industry to produce, process and market
premium rice. Two private seed companies, Seedworks Phils. and Ramgo Seeds International have pledged to support the program by providing hybrid high-yielding seeds to produce long grain premium rice. PhilRice, PhilMech and the Department of Agriculture Northern Mindanao Region are also supporting the program. This all started with August 7-13, 2021 |
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