World Bank's $172 million loan to make farming viable in Andhra Pradesh

HYDERABAD: World Bank has signed an agreement with the government of India and government of Andhra Pradesh to extend a loan of $172.2 million (Rs 1,257 crore) to help turn farming in Andhra a financially viable activity.

The program, the Andhra Pradesh Integrated Irrigation and Agriculture Transformation Project (APIIATP) will benefit two lakh families of poor and marginalised farmers, agro-entrepreneurs, women and other vulnerable groups.

The APIIATP program will be implemented in rural areas largely dependent upon rain-fed agriculture and help strengthen the resilience of poor and marginalised farmers against adverse climate events through improved access to irrigation, drought seed varieties, and post-harvest technology. These initiatives were aimed at improving soil health, water-use efficiency, and crop productivity.


The project covers 1,000 small-scale community-based irrigation systems spread over an area of 90,000 hectares in over 1,000 villages spread across 12 climate vulnerable districts of Andhra Pradesh.

“Strategic shifts are needed for India to transform its agriculture into a modern and resilient system, where rural poor, largely dependent on rain-fed agriculture, is able to use more climateresilient farming technologies and conserve water, a scarce resource,” said Junaid Ahmad, World Bank’s Country Director in India, in a statement.

“The project will support the state’s strategic shift that puts climate resilience at the core of agricultural growth and rural development in Andhra Pradesh.”The program will benefit two lakh families of poor and marginalised farmers, agro-entrepreneurs, women and other vulnerable groups.