THE Regional Drainage and Irrigation Department has started to facilitate irrigation for farmers in Region Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam) who are preparing for cultivation of the autumn rice crop.

Water for this purpose is being drawn from the main canal and conservancies to rice fields through the trenches to the areas under cultivation.

Every year, the Government funded Regional Capital Works Programme spends hundreds of millions of dollars to improve the drainage and irrigation (D&I) network, by constructing concrete culverts, revetments and bridges, desilting waterways and maintaining dams in rice growing areas, officials said.

They reported that, recently, the planters took advantage of the dry weather conditions to plough and chip their rice fields. Currently over the 32,500 acres is being prepared.

They have already purchased quality seed paddy from the Rice Producers Association (RPA) seed bond at Anna Regina on the Essequibo Coast.

The previous harvest surpassed the one million bags target and another bumper one is anticipated between September and October.