Sagaing region grows more than 50,000 acres of summer paddy this year

More than 50,000 acres of summer paddy were cultivated in the Sagaing region this year, said U Aung Kyi Win, the deputy head of Sagaing Region Agriculture Department.
“We have expected to cultivate over 60,000 acres of summer paddy in the Sagaing region this year. Now, over 50,000 acres of paddy have been cultivated, while the remaining acres have been targeted to grow at the end of this month.
‘‘We have cultivated more than 300,000 acres of summer paddy when we have accessed the irrigation water from the Thaphanseik dam.
‘‘For lack of access to irrigation water from Thaphanseik dam this year and last year, the corps — summer sesame, green gram, sunflowers which require less water are grown instead of summer paddy. The summer paddy was grown in those townships which have access to irrigation water,” said U Aung Kyi Win.
The Sagaing region was targeted to grow over 60,000 acres of summer paddy. It started growing in the first week of February 2021. So far, over 50,000 acres of paddy have been grown, while the remaining acres will be cultivated not later than April.
Last year, the Sagaing region grew more than 300,000 acres of summer paddy using the water from Thaphanseik dam.
This year, the summer paddy could not be cultivated for a lack of irrigation water. Therefore, it will grow more monsoon paddy.
More than 60,000 acres of summer paddy will be grown in Sagaing, Myaung, Budalin, Yinmabin and Pale townships this year. — Lulay/GNLM