Speaking at the seminar, DeputyMinister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Ngoc Thuat saidthat the purpose of the gathering is to finalise procedures for thesigning on the project’s second component with the Asian DevelopmentBank (ADB) in Feb. 2010.
The project got under way from November 2008, and must meet thecriteria of donors in terms of project objectives and scale as well ascost and means of implementation, he said.
Meanwhile, an ADB representative said he hoped that solutions toexisting shortcomings in the project would be identified so that amemorandum of understanding would be signed as soon as possible. Thiswould ensure the project’s success and the impact of technicalassistance, raising the quality of water-related services, and thuscontributing to the sustainable management of water resources, headded.
The second component of the project is expected to be implemented overfive years beginning mid 2010 at a cost of around 740,000 USD.
It is expected to increase the capacity of irrigation companies withinthe Bac Hung Hai system with new irrigation and drainageinfrastructure.
One of the country’s largest and oldest irrigation system, Bac Hung Haiis expected to water around 28,000 ha of fields in the Red River Deltaand rice output will be increased by 9 percent on each ha in 2015./.