The Government of Punjab will launch the Punjab Resilient and Inclusive Agriculture Transformation (PRIAT) project on 1 July.
Out of the total cost of $402 million, $300 million will be funded by the World Bank, and $18 million will be provided by the provincial government, while the remaining $85 million will be provided by the farmers, as per official documents available with this scribe.
The implementation period of the project is five years, and it will be completed on 30 June 2027.
The PRIAT project will be executed throughout Punjab. It comprises three components:
The project will strengthen the efforts made under the Punjab Irrigated Productivity Improvement Project (PIPIP) and the Punjab Agriculture & Rural Transformation Program for the up-gradation of the farm level water conveyance infrastructure and equipping the farmers with improved irrigation technologies.
This will create an enabling environment for the transfer of sustained technology at the grassroots level for the optimal and efficient management of available water resources, and provide support for the processing of agricultural produce to get better returns.
The scope of the project includes:
The project also envisages the promotion of harvesting, on/off agri-processing and value addition, market linkages, etc.
The project objectives include developing an on-farm irrigation conveyance network in the canal and non-canal command areas to improve water conveyance efficiency.
It is also aimed at promoting value agriculture and crops diversification through the promotion of high-value crops to enhance farmers’ profitability and to generate on-farm green jobs for rural communities to improve their livelihoods and alleviate poverty.