Commission launches US$106mn irrigation project

Jamaica's national irrigation commission (NIC) has awarded construction contracts in the first three pilot programs under a US$106mn plan to irrigate Jamaican farmlands, project manager Steve Lawrence told BNamericas. "Productive areas needed irrigation to step up output," he said. "And so we will build groundwater wells for this." Local companies won the initial contracts. BLUEPRINT PROGRAM The national irrigation development program (NIDP) works as a blueprint for public sector intervention in the irrigation sector. The NIDP's main goal is to make the NIC self-sustainable while also defining strategies to increase agricultural production, Lawrence said in an emailed response to BNamericas. Some 51 projects with an estimated cost of US$106mn have been proposed for implementation by 2015. The projects are expected to increase irrigated areas to 40,000ha from the current 25,000ha and benefit more than 6,900 farming families. Once completely implemented, the NIDP is expected to bring US$55mn in added income to the areas. The NIDP identified a need for farmers to participate in the program and continue with its development. As a result, the government is encouraging the formation of water user associations (WUAs) which would eventually be responsible for managing water distribution and system maintenance. The NIC will eventually transfer all responsibility to the WUAs for operating and maintaining the irrigation systems and in the long run work more in planning, regulating, monitoring and evaluating the irrigation sub-sector. PILOT PROGRAMS At a cost of US$12mn the three pilot programs will rehabilitate five wells and drill four new ones within three communities in St Elizabeth. Pumping stations, distribution pipelines and on-farm irrigation systems will be installed to service a total project area of some 950ha. Further, the Seven Rivers project consists of an intake on the Seven Rivers, a tributary of the Great river, and gravity conveyance by 2.8km of pipeline to 32ha of farming area.