XN000022-1974-09-17 — Page 2

TUESDAY, SEPTENDER 17, 1974

IMPROVED IRRIGATION FACILITIES FOR N.T. FARMERS FRE ##

THE ACRICULTURE AND FISHERIES DEPARTMENT IS PUSHING AHEAD WITH ITS EFFORTS TO KODERNISE IRRIGATION FACILITIES IN THE NEV TERRITORIES,

A SPOKESHAN FOR THE DEPARTMENT SA10 TODAY THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR AFFECTING THE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME WAS CO-

ERATION AMONG THE FARMERS THEMSELVES, BECAUSE THE SMALL SIZE.

INDIVIDUAL FARHS AND THEIR CLOSE PROXITY NECESSITATES MUTUAL AID AND CONSIDERATION.

A SUM OF $600,000 HAS BEEN ALLOCATED THIS YEAR FOR FIVE IRRIGATION DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN SHAP LONG, SHAN HA, HOK TAU, HA HANG AND SHAN LIU.

IRRIGATION SYSTEMS ALREADY EXIST IN THESE AREAS WHERE FARMERS HAVE BUILT ROUGH RUBBLE WEIRS TO DIVERT WATER VIA EARTH CHANNELS ONTO THE FIELDS. IN SHAP LONG AND HOK TAU USE IS ALSO DSING HADE OF STORAGE RESERVOIRS PROVIDED BY THE WATERWORKS OFFICE FOR IRRIGATION USE.

THE SPOKESMAN SAID THE DEPARTMENT IS IMPROVING THESE TRADITIONAL SYSTEMS IN TWO WAYS. FIRST, IT IS REPLACING THE RUBBLE VEIRS WITH MODERN IMPERVIOUS CONCRETE DIVERSION WEIRS AND THEN IT EITHER REPLACES THE EARTH CHANNELS WITH CONCRETE ONES, OR WHERE THE LAND IS TOO RUGCED, INSTALLS PIPELINES,

IN THE FINANCIAL YEAR 1973/74 FOUR IRRIGATION DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS, COSTING SOME $500,000 WERE CARRIED OUT IN VARIOUS PARTS OF YUEN LONG, TAI PO, SAI KUNG AND LANTAU IN AN ATTEMPT TO IMPROVE EXISTING FACILITIES AND TO OPEN UP UNUSED LAND.

THE SPOKESMAN CITED AN EXAMPLE IN TAI MONG CHE, TAI PO, WHERE ABOUT EIGHT ACRES OF ABANDONED LAND WERE TURNED INTO ARABLE VEGETABLE PLOTS, AND SAID THIS WAS +NOST ENCOURAGING.+

MANY FARMERS ARE TURNING FROM TRADITIONAL RICE FARMING TO HARKET GARDENING WHICH AT PRESENT IS MORE, PROFITABLE, HE NOTED.

THE DEPARTMENT IS ALSO CONCENTRATING ON INTRODUCING THE SPRINKLER IRRIGATION SYSTEM TO THE FARMERS.

LAST YEAR A DEMONSTRATION SCHEME FINANCED BY THE DEPARTMENT WAS SET UP IN HOK TAU, TAI PO. +WE HOPE TO SHOW THE FARMERS WHAT THE SPRINKLER SYSTEM IS ALL ABOUT, AND WHEN THEY SEE THAT THE FARMER WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE SCHEME IS MAKING A CLEAR PROFIT, THEY ARE LIKELY TO ADOPT THE SYSTEM.+ THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

THERE ARE

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