In the framework of the celebration of World Water Day, the Minister of Agriculture, Esteban Valenzuela, together with the Executive Secretary of the National Irrigation Commission (CNR), Wilson Ureta, and the National Director of the Agricultural Development Institute (INDAP), Santiago Rojas, arrived in the commune of Longaví, in the Maule region, to deliver more than $3.3 billion in bonuses from the irrigation law and resources from the Minor Works Program (PROM) of INDAP to farmers and water user organizations in the region. The aid will allow them to improve their irrigation capacity and mitigate the effects of climate change on agriculture.
As explained by Minister Valenzuela, these resources are added to the $9.000 million announced in February, as part of the emergency competitions that the CNR arranged to deal with forest fires, competitions that are open and available for citizens to apply through its website.
The activity took place in the reservoir of the Canal Castro Water Community - which provides irrigation security to 28 small farmers in the Longaví commune through its water storage system - and seeks to highlight the importance of the technical and technological development of irrigation in agriculture.
“What we are doing today confirms the Government's commitment to family farming and the farmers of our country. What we are seeking with this is to provide them with the tools and instruments to strengthen the irrigation matrix and productive capacities in order to improve the quality of life of all those who live and work in the countryside,” Valenzuela said.
During the day, telemetry gates were also inaugurated, which were financed through the Irrigation Law and which will benefit the San Víctor Álamos Community, in the commune of Linares. This investment totals $644 million and will allow a more efficient use of water resources by the irrigation community.
