The Millennium Challenge Account Moldova has announced today the bidding to select construction and supervision companies for the rehabilitation of the centralized irrigation systems Criuleni and Lopatna in Orhei rayon with Millennium Challenge Compact funds.
The event was attended by William Moser, U.S. Ambassador to Moldova; Vasile Bumacov, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry; Valentina Tapis, the deputy Minister of Environment; Millennium Challenge Corporation officials etc.
The bidding is open for the international companies which can submit their bids by January 24, 2013. The bids will be reviewed by national and international experts with relevant experience. The bidders will be evaluated against such criteria as experience in similar works, financial and technical capacity, and available equipment.
The winning company will have to rehabilitate fully the centralized irrigation systems by replacing all damaged pumps and about 85% of pipes, reconstructing the premises of pumping stations, providing automated equipment, and replacing all old asbestos-made pipes with high density plastic pipes according to the EU environmental standards.
The construction works are expected to start in the spring of 2013 and will last 18 months.
Valentina Badrajan, the MCA Moldova Executive Director, stressed that the rehabilitation of the two centralized irrigation systems will allow for the expansion of the irrigation area in Lopatna from 50 hectares to 509 hectares, and in Criuleni from 120 hectares to about 760 hectares. The farmers will be able to use as much water as they need and when they need and will pay for the amount of water that they used due to improved water metering and reduction of water losses.
U.S. Ambassador Moser said that this is the first time that the irrigation systems will be rehabilitated in Moldova and expressed his confidence that the Compact model of rehabilitation of irrigation systems will catalyze new investments in the irrigation sector.
Vasile Bumacov, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry, added that the Moldovan agriculture has no future without irrigation and expressed confidence that Millennium Challenge Corporation acting as a pioneer in rehabilitation of irrigation systems will encourage other donors and entrepreneurs, including in the agricultural sector, to contribute to the upgrading of irrigation systems in Moldova.
James Parks, the MCC Deputy Vice President, in turn, stressed that MCC’s purpose is to make the investments of the American people bring the highest return and benefit for the Moldovan farmers.
Today there are about 530 land owners in four villages in the Lopatna irrigation system area, 460 of which are members of Water Users Association (WUA), and 500 farmers in the Criuleni irrigation system area, 300 of which are WUA members.
Rehabilitation of irrigation systems is one of the objectives of the MCC Compact signed between the Government of the Republic of Moldova and the U.S. Government, acting through the Millennium Challenge Corporation, at the beginning of 2010. The USD 262 mil. Compact is implemented by the Millennium Challenge Account Moldova and is a generous grant provided by the American people to reduce poverty through economic growth in Moldova.
