NEPALGUNJ, JULY 13

Around 90 per cent paddy plantation has been completed in Banke so far. Timely completion of the plantation is expected to increase yield.

Agriculture Knowledge Centre Banke Chief Sagar Dhakal said 90 per cent paddy plantation was completed in Banke.

“Rain water and Sikta Irrigation Project have helped develop paddy saplings early this year,” said Dhakal. Paddy plantation will be completed in a week in the district.

Banke has 36,500 hectare arable land in the district for paddy. Plantation is set to be completed a month earlier compared to past years. Plantation is over at Janaki, Khajura, Raptisonari and Baijanath rural municipalities.

Farmer Arjun Upreti of Khajura Rural Municipality said plantation was carried out early this year due to early rainfall.

Out of 36,500 hectare land, irrigation was available for over 13,700 hectare land.

Earlier, farmers used to rely on rainwater for want of irrigation facility. This year, the water released from Sikta Irrigation Project as an experiment had provided relief to many farmers.

Sikta Irrigation Project Director Lok Bahadur Thapa said water was evacuated from the western and eastern canals of the project to the farmers’ land. “We can provide water for 16,000 hectare land from the irrigation project,” said Thapa.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on July 14, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.