Sikta eases rice plantation, 90% completes in Banke

By Siraj Khan,Nepalgunj, July 30: Despite the lack of sufficient rainfall in Banke district, more than 90 per cent paddy plantation has been thanks to the canals and other irrigation done by the Sikta Irrigation Project.

Agricultural Technical Officer of the Agricultural Knowledge Centre, Banke, Khadak Basnet said that at a time when planting has not been possible in many districts of Tarai region due to lack of sufficient rainfall for a long time, 90.9 per cent plantation has been completed in Banke district.

He said that 90.9 per cent planting has been possible in the district because the construction of various canals of the Sikta Irrigation Project, which is a national pride project, has been completed and water has been released.

As the canals of the Sikta Irrigation Project have come into operation in Banke, the farmers here are no longer forced to rely on rains for farming, said Basnet.

He said that although paddy plantation in Narainapur and Janaki rural municipalities, which are not covered by the Sikta canal, was less than in other municipalities, the planting was good in the municipalities with the reach of the canal and other irrigation infrastructure.

According to Agricultural Knowledge Centre, Banke, paddy production is expected to increase in the district this year as the planting is about to be completed on time due to the Sikta Irrigation Project. 

Looking at the current situation, the Centre estimated that paddy production is expected to increase by 15 to 20 per cent this year compared to the previous year.

Raju Acharya, Director of the Sikta Irrigation Project, said that as the irrigation facilities from the Sikta Irrigation Project have reached 22,000 hectares of the district, the planting was not affected even though there was no rain this season.

He said that farmers have been lifting water from various branch canals along with the western and eastern main canals of the project and planting paddy.

Shalikram Dangi, President of the National Irrigation Water Users Federation, Banke, said that paddy plantation is possible even in the lack of rain as irrigation facilities have reached 22,000 hectares from Sikta Irrigation Project and about 7,000 hectares through various other boring and irrigation methods. Paddy is cultivated in around 36,500 hectares of land in Banke.

He said that once the construction work of the Sikta Irrigation Project is completed, the compulsion to rely on rain for cultivation will completely end.