Irrigation project gives boost to Tha Ngon farmers

The Tha Ngon Farmland Irrigation Improvement project is helping farmers by providing water for 1,100 hectares of crops in both the wet and dry seasons.
Irrigation has been installed in Kaengkhai village, Xaythany district, Vientiane, under a joint project between the governments of Laos and Japan.
The government of Japan agreed to provide assistance to improve and restore the irrigation system on Tha Ngon farmland under a grant agreement between the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the Lao government through the Ministry of Planning and Investment, which was signed in January 2018.

The Japanese grant of 837 million yen (more than 82.13 billion kip) included payment for consulting companies to study, design and track construction to the value of 75 million yen (7.35 billion kip), along with the purchase and installation of seven new pumps, a power supply, construction of a 76-point channel system and a sluice gate, as well as the provision of a tractor and other equipment.
The project was recently handed over to local authorities, witnessed by Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Dr Phet Phomphiphak and the Japanese Ambassador to Laos, Mr Kenichi Kobayashi.
The project has provided irrigation for the five villages of Phoukham, Kaengkhai, Thasommor, Latkhuay and Udomphon.
The irrigation system can now deliver water to 550 hectares of rice fields and 100 hectares of other crops in the wet season, and to 400 hectares of rice fields and 50 hectares of other crops in the dry season.
The project is seen as a model for irrigated agriculture and improving farmers’ standard of living by increasing rice crop yields for food security and commercial production.
This supports government policy and boosts cooperation and friendship between Laos and Japan.

By Times Reporters
(Latest Update February 2, 2021)