Systematic reclamation of farmlands during construction of feeder canals more beneficial for farmers

Union Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation U Tin Htut Oo made a tour of inspection in Mandalay Region on 2 April.
During the visit at the Central Agricultural Mechanization Training School in Meiktila, the Union Minister said that many skilled human resources are needed for smoothly transforming the manual to the mechanized farming, and that it is necessary to provide effective training on the equipment to be used from plowing and threshing according to the crops the trainees practice.
The Central Agricultural Mechanization Training School has been conducting farming machinery trainings. To date a total of 472 courses have been conducted. The school has also planned to expand one-year courses for those who have completed basic education or high school or technical high schools. It is also learned that those qualified for the course will be able to transfer to GTI.
Afterwards, the Union Minister inspected the construction of Sauk-in river water pumping project near Sauk-in village in Singaing Township, Kyaukse District. He met with the project officers and the locals living around the project area, and discussed formation of water user groups (WUGs), the systematic reclamation of farmlands during the construction of feeder canals more beneficial for farmers though cooperation among the people and with departmental officials.
The project involves pumping water from the Dokhtawady River, which as a 25-foot difference in river level, by alternately using the main power line and renewable solar power system to pump up the water onto the 50-foot-high main pumping station. The irrigation will be provided to agricultural lands through one main canal, four feeder canals and 226 canal structures. The project started in the 2021-2022 FY and will be completed in the 2024-2025 FY. The triple cropping can be implemented on 1,000 acres of land to increase per-acre yield of crops, as well as improve the living standards of local people.
There are nine river pumping stations in Singaing Township and four in Amarapura Township. Upon completion, the South-in river water pumping project will benefit more than 9,000 acres of farmland.
The Union minister also visited Natyekan fishery camp in Amarapura Township and Htonbo pig farms in Patheingyi Township.—MNA