WB to provide financial assistance for irrigation project

The West Bengal government is likely to sign an agreement next month for a $ 300 million project with financial assistance from the World Bank for increasing agricultural production by small and marginal farmers.

The project is expected to bring 138,901 hectare of additional agricultural land under assured irrigation by developing 4,660 minor irrigation structures and ground water-based irrigation in 18 districts, Water Resources Investigation and Development minister Soumen Mohapatra said.

"An agreement on the Accelerated Development of Minor Irrigation Project (ADMI) is likely to be signed among the West Bengal government, the Centre and the World Bank in New Delhi in mid August," he said.

Work on the project would begin from January one next year and would be completed by five and a half years.

The total project cost estimated at $ 300 million would be financed through a mix of International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) loan and International Development Association (IDA) credit of $125 million each (about 83.3 per cent of the project cost), with the balance to be financed by the government.

He said 1,66,000 fishermen in the state would also be benefited by the project.

Increased agricultural production by small and marginal farmers would be achieved through accelerated development of minor irrigation schemes, strengthening of community-based irrigation management and support to agricultural development, Mohapatra said.