Endeavors to introduce irrigation farming in Maekel region registering encouraging outcome

As part of the endeavors to ensure food security encouraging efforts have been conducted to introduce irrigation farming in Maekel region, expressed Eng. Abraham Daniel, head of Ministry of Agriculture branch office in the region.

Asmara, 10 June 2012- As part of the endeavors to ensure food security encouraging efforts have been conducted to introduce irrigation farming in Maekel region, expressed Eng. Abraham Daniel, head of Ministry of Agriculture branch office in the region.

He indicated that different vegetables, temperate fruits as well as green animal feeds are being cultivated on more than 1200 hectares of land through irrigation in the region and that they are contributing in balancing market demand and supply.

He further explained that effort is being conducted to enlarge the 140 hectares of temperate fruits and that the pilot project to cultivate selected wheat for brewery production is registering encouraging result.

Ten percent of the land that is cultivated beyond dams is green animal feed as part of the effort to ensure animal fodder and 500 hectares is allocated in the environs of Mai-Bela.

Likewise Eng. Abraham noting that there are 80 small, medium and big dams in Maekel region, disclosed that 19 million Nakfa is allocated to build new dams. He also commended the participation of the people in development programs.

He also described that the Ministry of Agriculture is providing farmers with professional advice, insecticides and select seeds and called for judicious use of water and for introducing drip irrigation.