The rural community in Luka suku (village), Viqueque Administrative Post, Viqueque Municipality, continues to face difficulties increasing agricultural production because it lacks infrastructure and modern equipment.
Luka Suku Chief Manuel Gomes said farmers in rural areas were concerned about how to increase production with so little support for farming.
“With a good irrigation system and access to farm machinery, farmers could plant regularly and increase their harvests,” Manuel Gomes said at his office in Luka suku, Viqueque.
He added that irrigation would reduce farmers’ dependence on rainfall and help them grow crops throughout the year.
He said the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Forestry (MAPPF) had provided modern machinery for planting and harvesting rice, but there was not enough equipment for everyone who needed it. He added that the irrigation system also needed repairs because water was not reaching the rice fields properly.
Responding to these concerns, MAPPF Minister Marcos da Cruz said the government was focusing on developing agricultural infrastructure, particularly irrigation systems in different parts of the country.
“These facilities are very important because they can provide a steady supply of water to rice fields, allowing farmers to increase production without relying solely on rain,” Minister Marcos said.
He said some irrigation systems had already been completed and were operating, including those in Bee-Bui, Carau-Ulun, Lari-Sula, Buluto, Bee-Masi, Maliana 1, Oebaba, Raibere and Oecusse, directly benefiting farmers.
“The government is also continuing work on new irrigation projects, including Maliana 2 near the border, Uatolari, and Vemasse in Baucau, the Sahe irrigation project in Manatuto and a project in Zumalai. We expect these projects to be completed on schedule to meet the needs of farming communities,” he said.
He said modernising agriculture was also a government priority and that it was distributing equipment to make support farmers’ work.
“The government has distributed modern farm equipment, including tractors, rice planters and harvesters, to farmers in all municipalities. This initiative is important because it helps farmers produce more while reducing the time and cost of production,” he added.He said that as a developing country, Timor-Leste needed to learn from and work with countries that already had experience in agriculture and livestock to develop those sectors more quickly.
