Hanoi (VNA) – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved aidworth over 100 million USD to help the Vietnamese Government install eightmodernised irrigation systems in five drought-affected provinces, according tothe bank’s November 27 news release.

The bank’s move is expected to contribute to improvingagricultural productivity, especially among farmers growing high-value cropssuch as coffee, peppers, grapes, dragon fruits, and mangoes.

Its support for the upgraded irrigation systems, which willsupply water on-demand through pressurised pipe systems, will cover policymeasures to help Binh Thuan, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Khanh Hoa, and Ninh Thuanprovinces improve irrigation management services, including the operations andmaintenance of irrigation infrastructure. It will also assist the developmentof improved groundwater and water productivity assessments, as well asmicro-irrigation systems based on the type of crops and farmer demand.

“Modernised irrigation systems maximising the potential ofVietnam’s agricultural sector are crucial to the country’s goal of pursuinginclusive and sustainable growth,” ADB Senior Natural Resources Economist SanathRanawana said. “The project’s focus on climate resilience, particularly byproviding water on-demand to farmers, will help smallholder farmers increasecrop yield and boost their incomes.”

Agriculture plays a significant part in the Southeast Asiannation’s economy, contributing 18.3 percent of its gross domestic product and44 percent of the labour force from 2008–2016. However, despite having one ofthe best irrigation coverage in Southeast Asia, covering about 50 percent ofthe country’s arable land area, more than half of its irrigation systems remainunder capacity due to outdated infrastructure. This affects the productivity offarmers in drought-affected provinces in Vietnam, especially given the effectsof climate change.

ADB’s assistance is composed of a 100 million USD concessionalloan and a 300,000 USD non-refundable aid from the Climate Change Fund,established in May 2008 to facilitate greater investments in ADB’s developingmember countries to effectively tackle climate change.

ADB will also administer another 750,000 USD grant from theNetherlands Trust Fund under the Water Financing Partnership Facility, whichwas established in November 2006 to improve access to water resources amongpeople living in the project area. The grant will support the development ofwater resource assessments and a water allocation framework, water productivityassessments, and a crop water monitoring platform.

ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive,resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its effortsto eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it is owned by 67 members,including 48 from the region. In 2017, ADB operations totaled 32.2 billion USD,including 11.9 billion USD in co-financing.-VNA