SHALLOW TUBEWELL & L

closed

The Shallow Tubewell and Low-lift Pump Irrigation Project's objectives are to increase agricultural production, income and employment by supporting increased investment by farmers in simple, low-cost minor irrigation equipment. The equipment will be sold by private equipment dealers under the Government of Bangladesh's liberalized/deregulated policy framework for private sector-led minor irrigation development. By providing a foreign exchange facility to allow private sector dealers to import small engines for shallow tubewells and low lift pumps, as well as power tillers, for sale to farmers, the project is expected to provide: (a) irrigation for about 340,000 ha of land using an estimated 75,000 shallow tubewells (STW); (b) irrigation for approximately 120,000 ha of land using some 6,000 low lift pumps (LLP); and (c) improved tillage for around 460,000 ha of land using about 18,000 power tillers. These numbers are indicative, since the actual types and quantities of equipment installed will depend on demand from farmers. Support for these investments will be provided in the context of consolidating the existing policy framework for private sector-led minor irrigation development, and additional liberalization measures in the closely related areas of fertilizer distribution and foodgrain marketing.