Irrigation canals in Lower Piura because of mining royalties

RINCONADA LLICUAR, Peru – The chairmembers of the Bayóvar Integral Project’s Social Fund  (Fospibay, as in Spanish) opened and gave more than 14 km or 11 miles of coated canals funded by resources coming from non-metallic mining royalties, that benefit directly a better irrigation of more than 600 hectares or 1483 acres of crop lands located in this Sechura Province’s district.

 

Fospibay’s senior manager Segundo Reusche Castillo gave the work and reported that the project to improve 10 irrigation canals costed more than US$ 3 million, that included the physical works and the training to the farmers, as well as the supervision of the initiative.

 

“The social fund builds and makes real the dreams of Sechura-natives print on their projects, and this work has been a hope of hundreds of farmers and citizens involved with the development of their people. The project has been executed according to the technical file, the timelines have been accomplished, and there was not any additional,” he reported.

 

San Martín de Sechura Farmer Community’s president and Fospibay’s CEO Hernán Espinoza Ayala said this work means a milestone in the improvement and the agricultural evolution of this valley, assuring that the direct benefit reaches more than 500 Sechura families and indirectly to more than 2500 people involved in the crops production chain.

 

The lack of water and the nonexistence of a proper irrigation system blocked to harvest for years in this zone at the edge of Sechura Desert, although also susceptible to massive floods when El Niño events happen, as this is the lowest zone in the whole Piura Department.

 

Misky Mayo mining company’s social management superintendent Paola Farfán added this work is part of the 2020 - 2022 investment plan approved by the Fospibay board, fund that they contributed as a company with 96% of resources coming from mining royalties that they are committed to fee inside the contractual frame of Bayóvar Project, that specializes in extraction of phosphates.

 

Rinconada Llicuar’s Mayor Walter Martínez Vité highlighted that the agricultural and other nearby towns people are the main beneficiaries because they will optimize the hydric resource for their farms, will irrigate much easily, will recover salty lands, will enlarge their agricultural terrain, and will reassess their lands with a better price.

 

“We’re a basically agricultural district and this work executed by our social fund, of course, favors us much,” he stressed. The canals are in the boundary of La Muñuela Irrigators Committee that pertains to Sechura Irrigators Board. The area is part of Lower Piura Valley.