The set-up will give farmers a brand new income stream.
Picture: Provincial Authorities of Negros Occidental
The provincial authorities Negros Occidental – the western province of the island of Negros within the Philippines– has supplied farmers with a solar-powered irrigation system that may additionally produce farmed fish.
The PHP 6.9 million ($124,000) system will even irrigate greens and high-value crops for 2 farmers’ teams.
An aquaculture and aquaponic facet of the system sees water for irrigation pumped to a reservoir which might produce an estimated 75 kg to 80kg of fish comparable to tilapia after 4 months.
With a farm gate value of PHP 110 per kilogram for tilapia, that might imply PHP 8,250 of additional revenue primarily based on a 75 kg return and the information company stated the usage of photo voltaic would take away earlier pump gasoline prices of PHP 19,000 per 12 months.
The brand new system additionally produces natural liquid fertilizer from the fish waste, which is put into the irrigation water in a course of often known as fertigation.
The venture has been put in at a 600 m2 farm at Hacienda Myrianne within the municipality of Manapla and can profit members of the Myrianne Farmers Growth Affiliation and the Myrianne Youth Farmers Group.
