Twitter
Advertisement

World Bank to infuse Rs 700 cr for agri-facelift in Rajasthan

The project has been hanging fire since 2012 when World Bank had sanctioned that loan

Latest News
article-main
Vasundhara Raje
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

It needed a combination of chief minister Vasundhara Raje, agriculture minister Prabhu Lal Saini and agriculture department’s principal Secy Neel Kamal Darbari to formalise a World Bank funded project, which is set to change lives of 1.55 lakh small and marginal farmers of the state. The bank has committed an interest-free loan of around Rs 700 crore to change the face of agriculture in the state.

The project - Rajasthan Agricultural Competitiveness Project (RACP) – is likely to be launched early next year in 20 selected areas involving over 10,000 hectares across agro-ecological zones of 10 districts of the state.  It will increase agricultural productivity through the sustainable and efficient use of water resources which is the core of RACP. RACP is mandated to increase agriculture productivity and farmers’ incomes through efficient water management, crop management, improved technology, farmer organisation and market innovations.

The project has been hanging fire since 2012 when World Bank had sanctioned that loan. The state government didn’t accord priority to this project and it moved at a snail’s pace in the last 5 years. Just then state agriculture minister Prabhu Lal Saini, also known as towering minister due to his height, took keen interest and the project picked momentum in May this year. The finance department, under the stringent directives of the World Bank, has started the process of appointing the consultants for the project. The project will be financed by a credit from the International Development Association (IDA) – the World Bank’s concessionary lending arm – which provides interest-free loans with 25 years to maturity and a grace period of five years.

The  RACP, for the first time, is attempting to integrate all these elements across three water sources – canal water, groundwater and rain-fed agriculture – through a holistic approach. It will be promoting more water-efficient agriculture expecting to help farmers move from low value, often water-guzzling crops to high-value farming. The state has less than two percent of its own water resources. Erratic rainfall and recurring droughts have exacerbated the situation. Over the last 100 years, on an average, every district in the state has experienced drought in some form or the other for 50 percent of the time. Over 60 percent of the state’s population depends on low productivity agriculture for their livelihood.

“The  primary focus of the project is to reduce the agriculture water footprint by supporting measures that improve harvest, capture, collection, delivery and distribution of water for crops and livestock dependent on either irrigated, ground water or rain-fed water sources; improve water use efficiency in farms; increase moisture and fertility in soil; and promote market-oriented production,” said a World Bank official based in Delhi.

As part of this approach, the project will not only enable farmers to engage in profitable market-oriented production that is sustainable but also promotes partnerships and market linkages with other value chain crops and Agri businesses. “While challenges in making the semi-arid desert bloom are many, yet it can diversify into higher value, less water consuming horticulture, floriculture, spice and medicinal plant production; it has a range of tested on-farm water management technologies; and experience in managing public-private partnerships in agriculture,”  said the official.

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement