Communities of Samalari Village in the sub-district of Baucau Vila, Baucau District, urged the Ministry Agriculture and Fisheries (MAP), to fix their irrigation channels so they can have good crops.
Member of Parliament (MP) Ana Ribeiro said the majority people living in Samalari Village live off farming and they have strong concerns for their livelihood because they cannot irrigate their crops.
“We urge the government to repair the irrigation system to the referred site because most of the villagers live off agriculture,” urged MP Ribeiro, at the National Parliament, in Dili.
The MP said every year funds are allocated to MAP to deal with these issues but people continue to complain.
“How can they yield good crops if even the basic infrastructure isn’t provided,” added MP Ribeiro.
Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Mariano Asanami Sabino, said his ministry intends to build irrigation systems in many locations across the country.
“But we only have a limited budget. Irrigation is not one of our priorities but we will of course look into this in future,” said the Minister.
He added he welcomes good proposals for development projects so his Ministry can look at these issues.
