Eight lakes to capture rainwater

FAO to conduct comprehensive
statistics on agriculture

The Ministry of Agriculture signed two cooperative agreements: The first with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the second with Green Plan, to implement the Agricultural and Rural Development Program (ARDP).

ARDP is a $19 million project aiming to increase the overall performance of the agricultural sector. Implementation began in 2011 and will be completed in 2015.

The agreement with FAO aims at conducting studies of agricultural statistics about production, consumption, market activity, cost of production, competitiveness, and other relevant data. FAO will be executing the project within three years. The Ministry requested starting statistics with the milk, citrus, olive oil and poultry industries. The European Union will contribute $1 million in funds to this project.

The agreement with Green Plan aims to establish eight lakes, this year to store water. It will focus on helping farmers to manage irrigation networks and use modern irrigation systems.

The eight lakes, which will be executed in 36 months, will store about 1,600 cubic meters of rain water. Farmers will be trained on how to manage water resources in a sustainable way. About $3.2 million are required to execute the project. The EU will fund up to $2.5 million.