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World Bank and European Union support Sri Lanka’s agriculture modernisation

27 May 2021

The Ministry of Finance and the World Bank (WB) recently signed a new grant from the European Union (EU) to support the Agriculture Sector Modernisation Project (ASMP) in Sri Lanka. This grant is part of the EU’s € 25 million support to the $ 125 million project and will be administered by the WB. Since inception in 2016, the ASMP has supported the Government of Sri Lanka’s efforts to increase agriculture productivity, boost the value addition of smallholder farmers and agribusinesses, and to improve their access to markets. The project also supports agricultural diversification and technology improvements. The project has so far benefitted more than 48,000 smallholder farmers across the country and has created more than 1,500 new jobs through investments in agribusiness organisations. “Sri Lanka is blessed with an agricultural sector with deep historical roots, which will continue to underpin rural livelihoods and enable the country to rise to future challenges,” said World Bank Country Director for the Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka Faris. H. Hadad-Zervos. “Agriculture is important for Sri Lanka’s economy, and we continue to work with all our partners to promote inclusive and resilient growth, through increasing agricultural productivity, farmer incomes, and creating jobs in the sector.” This additional investment will help prepare Sri Lanka for Covid-19 recovery by contributing to export revenues and creating high-quality jobs in agro processing. It will also help expand opportunities for inclusive livelihood support in rural areas, and providing essential food items. The additional grant funding from the EU will support the expansion of agriculture clusters in five districts: Kandy (Central Province), Badulla (Uva Province), Ampara (Eastern Province), and Killinochchi and Vavuniya (Northern Province). The scale-up will contribute to a greater livelihood transformational impact and by reaching a larger number of project beneficiaries.  It is expected that a total of 25,000 additional beneficiaries would be supported, including 6,000 direct members of farmer-producer organisations. “The EU is pleased to be partnering with the World Bank and the Government of Sri Lanka to move towards a more sustainable, resilient, and productive agriculture,” said EU Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives Denis Chaibi. “By contributing to the agriculture sector modernisation programme, we aim to support smallholder farmers, promote new farming solutions to boost productivity, and create more jobs, all ultimately to be able to make a positive impact on the lives of some of the most vulnerable". The current WB portfolio in Sri Lanka consists of 19 ongoing projects, with a total commitment value of $ 2.33 billion in a variety of sectors including transport, urban, agriculture, water, education, and health. The EU has provided over € 1 billion in grants so far to Sri Lanka to support and accompany local efforts for recovery and reform processes in a wide range of areas including poverty reduction, democratic governance, local development, agriculture, water, and health.

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