Member of Parliament MP Josefa Alvares Soares said many farmers have abandoned their rice fields and this will have an obvious impact in the national rice production.
The MP added that many farmers abandon their rice fields because of lack of water due to broken irrigation systems and damaged tractors.
“They are tired of growing rice because of the poor irrigation and broken tractors. Also because of the unequal distribution of tractors,” said MP at the National Parliament, in Dili.
The MP urged the government to provide better conditions to farmer and to encourage farming groups to produce more rice rather than spending large amounts of funds yearly on rice imports.
She said the government also needs to set up better water supply management systems so that farmers are able to grow rice anytime.
“Water needs to be stored and that farmers can use during the dry season,” said MP Soares.
The National Director of Agriculture and Horticulture Amaro Ximenes said MP Soares and her concerned were right because since 2002, 700 farming groups were set up, but since then many of these groups have abandoned their fields and do not wish to grow rice anymore.
“Political decisions seem to be the main cause of this problem. It would be different if political decisions had been more adequate. We would have been able to produce more rice,” said the Director.
He added that back in 2002 rice production increased and rice fields covered a total 18.000 acres nationwide and that all farming groups were very active farming.
According to Director Ximenes rice production began to decline in 2008 because farmers started abandoning the rice fields.
The Director added that the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, led by the new minister , has made a commitment to solving this issue that will lead to rice production increasing across the country and will reduce the importation of rice.
