Armenia intends to get $16,6 from MCC

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Board of Millennium Challenge Account-Armenia SNCO held a meeting under chairmanship of RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, the government's information center reported.



The Council discussed and approved a package of application and attached documents for a thirteenth disbursement under the program which will be submitted to the MCC for consideration. Under the aforementioned request, the MCA-Armenia expects to be allocated USD 16,583,699 next quarter (October - December, 2009). The per-activity breakup of expenditures under this disbursement will be as follows: Irrigated Agriculture - USD 15,677,562, Monitoring and Evaluation - USD 259,358, Program Management and Oversight - USD 614,917.



MCA-Armenia SNCO Executive Director Ara Hovsepyan advised that the proceeds of the Irrigated Agriculture project will be used to restore several main canals, pumping stations, erect gravity systems, carry out drainage system rehabilitation design for the Ararat Valley etc.



Once approved by the Governing Council, the request package will be sent off to the MCC for approval.



The Governing Council discussed the draft agreement on reconstruction of 17 pumping stations under the Irrigated Agriculture project, approved the proposal on inclusion of the Spitak's gravity system in the agreement on construction of 4 gravity systems. As a result, reliable irrigation will be available for 800 hectares of agricultural land in Shirakamut, Mets Parni, Saralanj and Katnajur communities of Lori marz.



The meeting reviewed and approved the amendments to the contract signed on February 16, 2009 with CES Consulting Engineers Salzgitter GmbH (Germany), AHT GROUP AG (Germany) and the Yerevan State Engineering and Construction University (Armenia) Consortium, which is entrusted with the technical oversight of the Infrastructure activity of the Irrigated Agriculture project, as well as the contract on consulting services for the revised final design of pumping station rehabilitation activities (AP/SSS-01).



The Council took note of MCA-Armenia Executive Director Ara Hovsepyan's announcement that on October 13-14, 2009, an exhibition will be on at Congress Hotel under the watchword of "New approaches, high return," meant to detail the performance of Water-to-Market activity of the Irrigated Agriculture project. The exhibition will cover all of the 5 program components: in-farm water management, high-value agriculture, expert training, post-harvest technologies, processing and marketing, as well as credit financing.