WASHINGTON, June 24 (UPI) -- A $10 million grant to Tajikistan will target irrigation methods as the country struggles to recover from the global financial crisis, the World Bank said.
The World Bank announced the approval of a grant to finance a water resource management project in the Fergana Valley in Tajikistan.
"These funds will support one of the important development goals in Tajikistan which is to increase agricultural productivity," Chiara Bronchi, World Bank country manager for Tajikistan, said in a statement. "Achieving this goal is essential for the country's economic perspective."
The World Bank said the funds would target expansions to the coverage of drainage and irrigation systems and strengthen the early warning system of a Tajik dam.
The $10 water resource grant is in addition to a $24.4 million development grant to help the Tajik government recover from the global economic meltdown.
The bank said Tajikistan was "severely affected" by the economic crisis because of a "sharp decline" in remittances.
The Tajik economy in 2010 showed signs of recovery, though the World Bank said the government is under pressure from "unanticipated shortfalls in revenue."
