Georgian Finance Minister Lasha Khutsishvili and Lesley Bearman Lahm, the Asian Development Bank Country Director for Georgia on Friday signed a $48 million loan agreement for modernising the irrigation systems for agriculture in the country and supporting institutional reforms.
The ADB said the Climate Smart Irrigation Sector Development Programme would provide a modernised piped irrigation network covering about 7,000 hectares of the Kvemo Samgori irrigation scheme area in the eastern region of Kakheti.
The programme will involve replacement of the current open canal system with a combined closed pipe and open network for irrigation water conveyance with a total length of about 630 kilometres.
The programme will increase farmland productivity through applying innovative agriculture production and irrigation technologies. At least 1,000 farmers will benefit from the cutting-edge technologies such as drip and sprinkler irrigation systems. This will help expand their trade opportunities”, the ADB said.
The programme is aligned with the Georgian Government’s Agriculture and Rural Development Strategy for 2021–2027 and the Irrigation Strategy for 2017–2025, the Bank added.