By Czeriza
Valencia (The Philippine Star) | Updated August 5, 2013 - 12:00am
MANILA,
Philippines - Irrigated farm areas expanded by an average of 1.2 percent
between 2008 and 2012 with the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)
having the biggest increase in irrigation areas, according the Bureau of
Agricultural Statistics (BAS).
This covers
the national irrigation system, communal irrigation systems, private irrigation
systems and agency-assisted irrigation systems.
In its 2012
Agriculture Structures and Resources report,BAS said the country’s total
irrigated area as of 2012 was placed at 1.626 million hectares against 1.519
million hectares in 2008.
BAS said
irrigated areas in the ARMM increased at a rate of 17.44 percent annually over
the five year period. The total irrigated area in the ARMM is placed at 40,402
hecatares in 2012 compared to 23,387 in 2008.
This was
followed by Western Visayas with an average expansion of 9.9 percent annually
over a five-year period.
BAS said
declining areas of irrigated lands were reported in Ilocos Region, central
Luzon, CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, Northern Mindanao and davao Region.
Irrigated
areas in these regions fell by one to four percent annually over the five year
period.
In the study,
BAS said that as of 2012, the total irrigated lands in the Philippines
comprised 52.03 percent of the potential irrigable areas against 48.62 percent
in 2008.
Across
regions, the proportions of irrigated lands to potential irrigable areas were
highest in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) at 86.73 percent, Central
Visayas at 76.69 percent and Eastern Visayas at 75.92 percent.
A ratio of
about 51 to 56 percent were reported in Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Bicol
Region, Western Visayas and Zamboanga Peninsula.
In 2012, ARMM
had the smallest proportion of the irrigated lands to irrigable areas at 25.78
percent.
In 2011 and
2012 the national irrigation system supplied water to most of the country’s
irrigated areas (44.90 percent).
About 32.23
percent were irrigated by communal irrigation systems and 12.32 percent by
private irrigation systems.
There were
10.55 percent of the irrigated lands which irrigation system were provided by
other government agencies.
Among
regions, the use of national irrigation system was highest in Central Luzon
covering 67.67 percent of the region’s irrigated farm lands in 2011 to 2012.
Communal
irrigation systems were most widely used in Central Visayas, covering 61.85
percent of irrigated areas.
Private
irrigation systems were most useful in In CAR, supplying water to about 33.32
percent of the irrigated lands.
Irrigation
system provided by other government agencies covered 30 percent of the
irrigated lands in Ilocos Region.
______________________________________________________________
