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| 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.
Multidisciplinary
World Bank Team Supports Final Phase Assessment
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.
High-Level
Consultations Planned with National and Provincial Stakeholders
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, North Western,
Northern, Eastern, Southern, and Uva Provincial Councils; Project Management
Unit; and six provincial Deputy Project Directors (DPDs).
Field
Assessments and Beneficiary Engagement to Validate Project Impact
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.
