pangasinan farmers 05-01-09

	NORDIS WEEKLY January 9, 2005
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Bloating farmer’s debts worries NIA
URDANETA CITY, Pangasinan (Jan. 6) — Farmers here now facing tougher times as the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) plans to augment farmers’ irrigation services. Authorities are urging farmers to pay this month to avail of a 10% discount on total payment. Total debt starting 1975 increased to P291 million on a region wide scale, reaching P6.6 billion on a nationwide scale. NIA Regional Office Information Officer Adoracion Soriano revealed that the accumulation was a result of delinquency among farmers who assert to pay their back accounts on partial basis. Incentive policies have been implemented to allow farmers to pay at the lowest possible amount, Soriano added. Since 1975, the government imposed the 1975 Irrigation Service Fee (ISF) rates which are pegged at two cavans per hectare during wet season and three cavans on dry season. This is determined by the prevailing palay price dictated by the National Food Authority (NFA) which presently cost P9 a kilo on wet season and P10 during dry season. In 1998, the Estrada administration intercepted the policy with Administrative Order No. 17 to cushion the El Nino effects and then currency crisis. The policy enforced a reduction in the prevailing rates which then were paid to one cavan a hectare during wet season and one and a half cavans in dry season. In August 2003, NIA implemented the Comprehensive Agreement Program (CAP) which when availed, farmers are entitled to 50%-80% relief in penalty charges and portion of unpaid back accounts. However, these schemes failed to cut the farmers’ bloating debts, Soriano said. The failure was attributed to the bureau’s lack of manpower and skepticism among farmers who doubt the policies, he added. A call to increase the prevailing palay price to P15 a kilo is being proposed by local cause-oriented groups to augment the low income of farmers, but the matter should be taken up in legislature, the bureau says. # Jong dela Cruz for NORDIS
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	NORDIS WEEKLY January 9, 2005
Home \| To bottom	Previous \| Next
Bloating farmer’s debts worries NIA
URDANETA CITY, Pangasinan (Jan. 6) — Farmers here now facing tougher times as the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) plans to augment farmers’ irrigation services. Authorities are urging farmers to pay this month to avail of a 10% discount on total payment. Total debt starting 1975 increased to P291 million on a region wide scale, reaching P6.6 billion on a nationwide scale. NIA Regional Office Information Officer Adoracion Soriano revealed that the accumulation was a result of delinquency among farmers who assert to pay their back accounts on partial basis. Incentive policies have been implemented to allow farmers to pay at the lowest possible amount, Soriano added. Since 1975, the government imposed the 1975 Irrigation Service Fee (ISF) rates which are pegged at two cavans per hectare during wet season and three cavans on dry season. This is determined by the prevailing palay price dictated by the National Food Authority (NFA) which presently cost P9 a kilo on wet season and P10 during dry season. In 1998, the Estrada administration intercepted the policy with Administrative Order No. 17 to cushion the El Nino effects and then currency crisis. The policy enforced a reduction in the prevailing rates which then were paid to one cavan a hectare during wet season and one and a half cavans in dry season. In August 2003, NIA implemented the Comprehensive Agreement Program (CAP) which when availed, farmers are entitled to 50%-80% relief in penalty charges and portion of unpaid back accounts. However, these schemes failed to cut the farmers’ bloating debts, Soriano said. The failure was attributed to the bureau’s lack of manpower and skepticism among farmers who doubt the policies, he added. A call to increase the prevailing palay price to P15 a kilo is being proposed by local cause-oriented groups to augment the low income of farmers, but the matter should be taken up in legislature, the bureau says. # Jong dela Cruz for NORDIS
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