CABANATUAN CITY — About 273 farmers in Nueva Ecija will benefit from independent power system irrigation as National Irrigation Administration (NIA) inaugurated two newly completed solar-powered pumps in San Isidro and Peñaranda towns.
NIA Administrator Ricardo Visaya said that though solar-powered pump projects are more expensive, it will reach about 25 years in providing service and are maintenance free.
“Sa atin pong mga magsasaka, patuloy po tayong magtulungan, itong mga solar panels sana alagaan natin (To our farmers, let us continue in helping each other. Please take care of these solar panels),” he said.
The San Isidro Solar-Powered Pump Irrigation Project is located at barangay Pulo with a service area of 323.2762 hectares. It has 159 farmer beneficiaries covering barangays Pulo and Mangga.
Moreover, Peñaranda Solar-Powered Irrigation Project is located at barangay San Josef with a service area of 228.878 hectares. It has a total of 114 farmer beneficiaries from barangays Poblacion I, Poblacion II, and Santo Tomas in Peñaranda and Pambuan in Gapan City.
The system capacity of both solar panels is 90,390 watts.