📈 ADB Boosts Sri Lanka's Water & Food Security with $200M Loan

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a US$200 million loan for the Mahaweli Development Program in Sri Lanka, aiming to enhance water and food security, particularly in the North Central Province. • Objective: Transfer excess water from the Mahaweli River to drier northern and northwestern regions. • Beneficiaries: Over 35,600 farming households in the North Central Province will directly benefit, strengthening agricultural resilience and food security. • Project Scope: • Completes the North Central Province Canal (NCPC) irrigation infrastructure, irrigating ~14,912 hectares (ha) of paddy fields and enabling reliable water for commercial agriculture development (CAD). • CAD component includes 13 pressurised pipe networks for ~5,039 ha of upland fields, providing "water on demand" for high-value crops. • Impact: • Promotes perennial crops with export potential (mango, papaya, guava, passion fruit) in upland areas. • Supports seasonal diversification in lowland paddy areas (mung bean, chili, maize, groundnut, vegetables) during the Yala season. • Integrates disaster-resilient value chains from seedling to post-harvest handling. • Enhances access to financial and extension services for farmers. • Cofinancing: The ADB leads a joint effort, mobilising an additional US$60 million from the OPEC Fund for International Development and US$42 million from the International Fund for Agricultural Development. The project is crucial for Sri Lanka's food security challenges, especially after recent climate events like Cyclone Ditwah which severely damaged paddy and other crops.