Thursday, 12 June 2025

Technical Mission of the Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project commences

Dr.  Salau reviews the project progress 

Dr. Sheu Salau , Senior Agriculture Economist and Task Team Leader (TTL) for Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) and his World Bank team arrived in the Project Management Unit this morning to commence the Technical Mission of the CSIAP. The primary objective of this mission is to assess the progress of the project's implementation. Additionally, the mission will: (i) review the status of committed funds and determine if partial cancellation is necessary; (ii) evaluate the readiness to conclude all activities by December 31, 2025; (iii) engage with sector authorities in ongoing policy discussions and World Bank analytics; and (iv) participate in the PROGREEN consultation event focused on landscape governance. 

The mission team included Eng. (Ms) Thiruni Liyanage, Co-TTL and Senior Water Resources Management Specialist, Dr. Athula Senaratne, Senior Agriculture Specialist, Mr. Seenithamby Manoharan, Senior Consultant for  Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr. Jagath Seneviratne, Consultant for  Monitoring & Evaluation and Mr. Sanjeewa Rodrigo, Consultant for Agribusiness & Marketing.

During this period, the team intends to meet with relevant staff from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands, and Irrigation; Department of Agriculture; Department of Agrarian Development; Department of External Resources; National Planning Department; Chief Secretaries of the North Central, Northwestern, Northern, Eastern, Southern, and Uva Provincial Councils; Project Management Unit; and six provincial Deputy Project Directors (DPDs

The team will also conduct field visits to selected CSIAP project sites to assess on-ground implementation, interact with beneficiaries, and gather feedback on project outcomes. This mission is a key milestone in ensuring that CSIAP delivers its intended impact and aligns with national development goals and climate resilience strategies. The PMU team, comprising Provincial Deputy Project Directors, Subject Specialists, and Officers, was led by Mr. K.V. Athula, Deputy Project Director of the PMU, during this meeting.