In a report released at a news conference in Dushanbe, the head of the Agency for Land Reclamation and Irrigation, Kholmurod Rahmon, noted on February 7 that six investment projects aimed at supporting development and management of land reclamation and irrigation are being implemented in Tajikistan.   

According to him, a total cost of the projects is 165.4 million U.S. dollars and nearly half of these investments has been implemented to date.

One of the large projects is the Danghara Steppe Irrigation Project, which is funded by the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB).  The project, costing 30.54 million U.S. dollars,  reportedly aims at alleviating poverty by increasing the household income of the rural population through contributing to increase the regional gross production of cotton and grain and generating employment for 8,000 people in the agriculture and livestock sectors through the development of 1,750 ha of irrigated and in the Danghara Steppe.  

Another project - Public Employment for Sustainable Agriculture and Water Resources Management Project - costs 57.9 million U.S. dollars.  The project is designed for 2013-2020. It is funded by a grant from the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (60.78%) and the International Development Association grant (39.21%). The project’s objectives are to: 1) provide employment to food insecure people through the rehabilitation of irrigation and drainage infrastructure; 2) increase crop production in response to improved irrigation and infrastructure; 3) support the development of improved policies and institutions for water resource management, as a means to improve food availability and food access for low-income people in poor rural areas supported by the project. The project is being implemented in 14 districts of Khatlon province.

Besides, the following projects are being implemented in the country under support of international partners: Ensuring the Resilience of the Panj River Basin to Climate Change (13.59 U.S. dollars); River Bank Enforcement Work in Hamadoni District (6.3 million U.S. dollars); and Water Resources Management in Panj River Basin (31.61 million U.S. dollars).  

Kholmurod Rahmon further noted that Tajikistan needs at least 750 million U.S. dollars for rehabilitation of its irrigation system.  

“Tajikistan has potential to develop more than 800,000 hectares of lands and use them for cultivation of farm produce,” he said.  

According to him, they are currently conducting negotiation with local entrepreneurs on irrigating desert and fallow lands.