CONTRACTS FOR the National Irrigation Develop-ment Programme are expected to be up for tender soon, according to Minister of Water and Housing the Hon. Donald Buchanan.
In a recent interview with the Gleaner, Minister Buchanan said, "the contracts will be going to tender shortly and once they have been awarded, then the actual projects will begin by March 2003."
In 1998, the government of Jamaica, through the National Irrigation Commission Limited embarked on a National Irrigation Development plan which identified and prioritised irrigation projects for implementation. The plan was also expected to complement the Government's long term agricultural development plan to the year 2015 and further, the proposed plan to increase farmer participation in irrigation, as well as to make the irrigation commission self-sustainable.
Feasibility studies were done on medium and small-scale pilot projects in Sevens River, St. James and Hounslow and Pedro Plains in St. Elizabeth. In Hounslow, five existing wells were rehabilitated and a conveyance system developed. While four wells were drilled and pipelines laid in the areas of Beacon and Little Park in Pedro Plains. The Sevens River project involved the rehabilitation of a system from which water will be distributed to the various communities.
The projects, which are being funded by the government through a loan from the Caribbean Development Bank, are estimated to cost some $500 million, said Minister Buchanan.
Noting that farmers will be the prime beneficiaries of the irrigation project, the Minister explained that they have been involved in the planning of the projects through various stakeholders' consultations.
