The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is provideing agricultural machinery under the Food Security Project for Underprivileged Farmers, which is generally known as Japanese “2KR (Second Kennedy Round)” Grant Aid program.
The handing over ceremony took place in Killinochchi last week with the Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa in attendance. A press release stated that JICA, as an Official Development Assistance (ODA) executing arm of the government of Japan, puts a priority on assistance to agricultural and rural development sector in Sri Lanka.
This 2KR assistance is provided by JICA as a gift for supporting Sri Lanka’s efforts to improve agricultural productivity of rural households and achieve food security in Sri Lanka, while paving the way to alleviate poverty in the rural areas.
According to the press release, the agreement on this grant aid for a total of 520 million Japanese Yen was signed between two counties on 19 March 2009 to provide Sri Lanka with agricultural machinery comprising 1,024 units of two-wheel tractors, 1,027 units of reversible ploughs, 400 units of irrigation water pumps with engines, 10 units of potato diggers and 50 units of four-wheel tractors with disc ploughs.
With the handing over of the final lot of machinery on 18 June 2010, both parties declared the successful completion of the project.
JICA noted that nearly a quarter of the assistance, which is 402 units of two wheel tractors with ploughs, 39 units of four wheel tractors with ploughs and 195 units of water pumps, are allocated to serve the needs of farming communities who are undergoing post-conflict resettlement and reconstruction process in the Northern and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka. |
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