Farmers Encouraged to Utilise National Irrigation Commission Water Filling Stations

Farmers are being encouraged to utilise the water filling stations accessible through the National Irrigation Commission (NIC), to supplement their water supply, amid lower-than-average rainfall in some parishes.

Public Relations Specialist with the NIC, Christeen Forbes, said the water filling stations are a key part of the entity’s irrigation infrastructure.

“We have over 10 of them across the island. The water NIC provides is at a cost subsidised by 75 per cent to the farmers. The farmers are paying only 25 per cent of the actual cost of the water, so it is very affordable and this is because agricultural development is socio-economic,” she said.

Speaking at a recent JIS Think Tank held at the agency’s Television Department in Kingston, Ms. Forbes said the provision of key inputs, especially water, goes beyond profit and loss for the Government.

“It is building and supporting national food and nutrition security, it is supporting rural and social development, so the water is very affordable, and to access these water filling stations the locations are listed on our website at www.nicjamaica.com,” she said.

The process to access NIC water involves farmers visiting the nearest location, speaking to the water filling station operator, paying and then transporting the water to their farms.

Meanwhile, the NIC is working to expand its water offerings to more communities across the country.

Ms. Forbes indicated that changing weather patterns in St. Ann, St. Mary and Portland are increasing demand, especially in these parishes.

“They never used to rely on the NIC to provide water for their farms but now the demand is growing. Everywhere in St. Elizabeth there is a farm, so the demand is even greater there. There are some areas we are exploring as the demand for irrigation services is growing and this wasn’t the case 10, 15 years ago because there used to be a lot of water sources and farmers used to do a lot of rainwater harvesting,” she said.

The NIC’s main objectives are to manage, operate, maintain and expand existing and future irrigation schemes and systems, as may be established by the Government of Jamaica.

The Commission obtains its authority from the Irrigation Act 1949, which makes provision for the utilisation of water available for the irrigation of special areas in Jamaica, and for the conservation and use of subterranean water for purposes incidental to or connected with that purpose.