BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 11. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has provided a $1.2 million technical assistance grant for the preparation for the Irrigation and Drainage System Development Project in Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, Candice McDeigan, ADB Country Director in Azerbaijan, told Trend.
"The project design is at its final stage and is scheduled for approval in 2023," she added.
According to McDeigan, the project will support the use of high-level technology for the rehabilitation and modernization of five irrigation systems in Nahkchivan.
"It is expected to provide irrigation water to more than 43,000 hectares of farmland in five districts of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic (Sadarak, Sharur, Kengerli, Babek, and Julfa), accounting for about 80 percent of the total irrigated land in the republic," she expalined.
The country director noted that this initiative will also help strengthen the institutional capacity of the executing and implementing agencies and Water User Unions for improved irrigation system management.
To date, ADB has committed 65 public sector loans, grants, and technical assistance totaling $3.7 billion to Azerbaijan. Cumulative loan disbursements to Azerbaijan amount to $3.93 billion. These were financed by regular and concessional ordinary capital resources. ADB’s ongoing sovereign portfolio in Azerbaijan includes 2 loans and 1 sovereign guarantee worth $856.8 million.