The Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower house of parliament) has begun discussing the issue related to ratification of a loan agreement on the project for improvement of water resources management in the Khatlon province that was singed in the summer this.
MP Rustam Latifzoda, who is also the leader of the Agrarian Party of Tajikistan (APT), considers that implementation of this project will help crop yield in the Khatlon province, which, in turn, will play an important role in provide the country’s food security.
Recall, a loan agreement for 10 million U.S. dollars was singed on September 17, 2019 in Vienna between the Government of Tajikistan, represented by Faiziddin Qahhorzoda, Minister of Finance, and the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), represented by Dr. Abdulhamid Alkhalifa, Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of OFID.
The amount of this loan is allocated for co-financing the Improvement of Water Resources Management in Khatlon Project.
A total cost of the project is reportedly 53.5 million U.S. dollars, including 15 million U.S. dollars allocated by the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), 25 million U.S. dollars allocated by the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) and 10 million U.S. dollars allocated by the OFID. Tajik government’s contribution to the project reportedly amounts to 3.5 million U.S. dollars.
The Project development objective is to improve the livelihood of the rural population, through improvement of water resources management with resilience to climate change impacts. The project is expected to result in increasing agriculture production by 110,000 tons per year; 2,000 new permanent, and 15,000 seasonal job opportunity will be created. 60,000 rural people will be provided with access to improved water supply. The project is reportedly expected to be implemented by 2025.
