Expanded Irrigation Access Enables Triple-Crop Farming in Banke

Banke. With the expansion of irrigation facilities, farmers in Banke have begun cultivating three crops annually. The reliance on seasonal rainfall is now a thing of the past. According to Santosh Pathak, Senior Horticulture Development Officer and Information Officer at the Agriculture Knowledge Center, farmers who previously left their fields fallow after the monsoon rice harvest due to a lack of water are now planting potatoes or mustard, followed by spring maize.

“With irrigation in place, farmers' interest in triple-cropping is growing, and they are generating cash income from potatoes and spring maize,” he said. “While farmers who plant wheat after the monsoon rice are limited to two crops, those who opt for mustard or potatoes instead of wheat are able to fit in a maize crop as well.”

Officer Pathak noted that the Agriculture Knowledge Center encourages triple-cropping because mustard and potato crops mature faster than wheat, allowing for subsequent maize cultivation. Under the program to increase crop intensity in irrigated areas, the center provides seeds and technical support to farmers for spring maize.

In Banke, monsoon rice is cultivated on 33,780 hectares, wheat on 20,895 hectares, spring maize on 3,500 hectares, potatoes on 3,250 hectares, mustard on 6,530 hectares, and winter maize on 135 hectares. The release of water from the Sikta Irrigation Project has eased farming operations. In areas not yet reached by the project, the Agriculture Knowledge Center has distributed boring equipment to cooperatives and farmer groups with a 50 percent subsidy, Pathak added.

Sikta Irrigation Project Director Raju Acharya stated that the project releases water into the canals during the planting season to ensure farmers do not face water shortages.

According to him, the project, which involves a dam on the Rapti River at Agaiya in Rapti Sonari Rural Municipality-2, aims to irrigate 42,766 hectares of land. By the end of Chaitra in the fiscal year 2082-83, it has provided direct irrigation to 24,000 hectares, bringing prosperity to local farmers.

Krishna Bikram KC, President of the All Nepal Peasants' Federation, Banke, stated that consistent irrigation allows farmers to achieve higher yields through triple-cropping, which contributes to economic prosperity.