DA-NIA Allots P144 M to Repair Ala River Irrigation System in Mindanao. The Department of Agriculture through the National Irrigation Administration (DA-NIA) has allotted a total of P144 million (P6M this year and P138M for 2012) to repair and upgrade portions of the Ala River Irrigation System (ARIS) that serves more than 12,000 hectares in South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat, benefiting 8,850 farm families. Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala (inset, 3rd from left) made the announcement September 30, 2011, at the 13th annual gathering of the ALA Dam 2 Federation of Irrigators’ Associations (IAs) in Isulan, Kudarat, attended by 2,000 IA officers and members, belonging to 83 IAs. During the affair, Sec. Alcala distributed 200 bags of registered rice seeds, and gifted the top five IA achievers (Pumaka, Maremco, LD 1C, Masbakas and Roxasilang) with hand tractors with trailer, portable dryers and hermetic storage cocoon. Other IAs also received similar farm equipment via raffle that included solar and flatbed dryers, threshers, and carabao with implements. Inset photo also shows (from left) Isulan Mayor Diosdado Pallasigue, NIA administrator Antonio Nangel, DA national rice program director Dante Delima, Maremco IA president Victoria Fernando and DA Region 12 director Amalia Datukan. (Photo by Alan Jay Jacalan, DA Information Service) |
