San Remigio: Farmers could now double their rice production with them already having sufficient water supply for their farm lands. San Remigio Mayor Margarito Mission, Jr. said in an interview Tuesday that together with the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Assistant Regional Director Anthony Arostique and the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) officials they turned over to the Osorio I Farmer's Irrigator's Association, Inc. the PHP6 million Communal Irrigation System (CIS) during a ceremony held in Barangay Osorio I on Jan. 27.

According to Philippines News Agency, the CIS will provide water to 36 hectares of rain-fed area in Barangay Osorio I. Mayor Mission noted that there are 40 farmers who own and till the rain-fed rice lands who will benefit from the CIS, which is implemented under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program-Irrigation Component of DAR and NIA.

Before the implementation of the irrigation system, farmer-beneficiaries were solely reliant on rainfall for rice planting, allowing for only a single annual harvest during the rainy season. With the new system in place, farmers can now plant twice a year, effectively doubling their rice production.

The CIS enables planting during both the dry and rainy seasons by sourcing water from the nearby Osorio Creek. Mayor Mission also emphasized during the turnover ceremony that the local government unit (LGU) would assist the farmer's association with the maintenance of the CIS.