Irrigation project to help Malawi

18 March 2011

Malawi's water infrastructure is to improve after it was allocated $12.7 million (£7.9 million) from the World Bank to complete four irrigation schemes.

Some 197,000 farming households are set to benefit from the development, which will be finished by June 2012.

"When all are completed, we expect 3,200 hectares of land to be irrigated. This will significantly help ensure food self sufficiency at household level," said Sandra Bloemenkamp, the bank's country manager for Malawi.

The additional findings come six years after the institution gave the nation an initial $40 million for the Irrigation, Rural Livelihoods and Development project.

Low levels of irrigation development have hit Malawi's crop production, finance minister Honourable Ken Kandodo said.

He added because of this there is a need for money to be invested in improving this area.

Muona in Nsanje, Likangala in Zomba, Nkhate in Chikhwawa and Limphasa in Nkhata Bay are the four areas that have been helped by the cash in the landlocked country.
 

Category: Water