The Department of Agriculture (DA) has turned over a newly constructed diversion dam to a group of farmers in Bohol province.
The P4-million diversion dam in the town of Guindulman, Bohol is expected to boost the rice production of the Awihaw Lombog Farmers Irrigators Association, said Assistant Secretary Jonji Gonzales of the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (OPAV).
Bohol is the top rice-producing province in Central Visayas but for the the past years, most farmers in the locality have been dependent on rainwater to irrigate their farms.
That problem will be solved as the diversion dam is capable of distributing water supply to around 20 hectares of rice land in Awihaw, Barangay Lombog in Guindulman, said Gonzales.
The Awihaw diversion dam is just one of the six agricultural infrastructure projects of DA Secretary William Dar in Guindulman, Bohol.
The projects are worth a total of more than P71 million.
These projects include another construction of diversion dam in different sites, two units of small water impounding project, solar powered irrigation system and farm-to-market road.
OPAV Secretary Michael Lloyd Dino said infrastructure projects such as irrigation system will help idle lands become more productive.
“Rural productivity is one of the key goals in the government’s thrust to boost the agriculture industry. These much-needed farm infrastructure facilities help our farmers increase their output and income,” Dino said.