TIRANA, Nov  9  /ATA/ The 2023 draft budget allocates a fund of 2.1 billion ALL, or 23% more than in 2022, in investments for the irrigation and drainage sector in the sector of agriculture.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Frida Krifca, in a statement for ATA, elaborated on the concrete projects.

“The focus will be on: Rehabilitation of irrigation canals with a total fund of 328 million ALL; investments in flood protection infrastructure through the rehabilitation/construction of embankments with a total fund of 673 million ALL,  investments for the rehabilitation of pumping stations through a fund of 108 million ALL,” said the minister.

According to her, 630 million Lek will be invested in the maintenance and rehabilitation of the irrigation and drainage network and pumping stations.

The minister said that the expected impact in 2023 on the irrigation and drainage infrastructure is the investment in 46 facilities of irrigation infrastructure, flood protection and pumping stations, the improvement of irrigation in about 12,000 ha, the rehabilitation of some main  irrigation canals, such as the Peqin-Kavajë, Mat-Lezhë, Shtodër, Bërdice canals, as well as the completion of the rehabilitation of the Gjançi irrigation ditch in Korçë and the Polis-Tudan canal in Elbasan.

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