The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock in El Salvador is inviting bids for the project management services for construction of irrigation infrastructure.
Government Purchase El Salvador CPI-01/2014-BCIE-MAG:
"PUBLIC INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION ENTITLED: PROJECT MANAGEMENT FOR INFRASTRUCTURE RECONSTRUCTION IN IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE IN LEMAPA ACAHUAPA No 3 - PERFORM SUPERVISION OF RECONSTRUCTION OF IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE INFRASTRUCTURE LEMAPA ACAHUAPA No 3 ".
The National Program for Sustainable Rural and Urban Development is putting out to tender the installation and commissioning of 29 sets of drip irrigation and 20 micro-irrigation systems.
Honduras Government Purchase LPN-002-014-HO-BIENES:
"TURNKEY PROJECT FOR INSTALLATION AND COMMISSIONING OF 29 DRIP IRRIGATION SYSTEMS: NINE IRRIGATION SYSTEMS FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF 72 HECTARES AND 20 MICROIRRIGATION WATER SYSTEMS FOR 2,500 M2 OF LAND MAKING A TOTAL OF 7 HECTARES, IN THE MUNICIPALITIES OF JUTECALPA AND CATACAMAS IN THE DEPARTMENT OLANCHO. "
With the construction of a new irrigation canal the aim is to increase agricultural productivity in a naturally dry area.
A new irrigation canal in the north, 34 kilometers long, will artificially irrigate some 8,600 hectares in the cantons of Cañas and Abangares allowing in order to promotoe the revival of production in this area and diversification. $15 million will be invested in the project and work is expected to start next March.
The construction of irrigation systems at Río Sereno and Alto Bambito in Chiriqui will be led by the consortium Riego de Panamá.
The reference price for the tender was $44.1 million. The consortium Riego de Panamá, represented by Meco SA was awarded the contract despite having submitted the highest bid.
"... the consortia Ceinsa-Tragsa-Tragsatec and Copisa / Riegos Chiricanos assured the evaluation committee "arbitrarily and wrongly" indicated in the report that the consortium Riego de Panamá met nearly all the requirements of the specification" according to an article in Prensa.com review.
The best value abbreviated tender has received bids from four consortia ranging from $38.8 to $48.3 million.
Prensa.com reports that "The best value abbreviated tender has a reference price of $35.3 million for an irrigation system in Alto de Bambito and $8.8 million for the construction of irrigation and drainage in Rio Sereno, in Renacimiento.The reference price of the two projects totals $44.1 million.
The date for submitting proposals for the tender for the construction of irrigation systems at Río Sereno and Alto de Bambito in Chiriqui has been moved to September 6.
Some 17 companies have shown interest in the tender launched by the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MIDA).
According to Abdiel Atencio, director of Engineering at the MIDA, most of these companies requested an extension of 15 days in order to submit the proposals.
The Ministry of Agriculture aims to improve the productive capacity of the country through a policy of irrigation water management.
The initiative includes four components, among which is the creation of dams or reservoirs which store water during the rainy season for use in irrigation during the dry season.
"It's a big but strategic investment which the country needs to take in order to avoid a lot of problems due to climate change," says the Rural Economic Development Deputy Minister, Carlos Anzueto.
Panama's government has unveiled projects for supporting farming in order to encourage greater productivity, with a total cost of $211 million.
A statement from the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MIDA) reads:
Over $170 million will be spent on irrigation systems in productive areas of the country, about 33.5 million in producer support programs (Act 24, Act 25, Rural Pro and others), $6 million in direct assistance to small producers and over $2 million on Production Roads, which makes a total of $211.5, part of the investments being carried out by the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MIDA), in order to achieve the required productivity to achieve efficiency domestic production.
Costa Rica is preparing an international tender for a 34 kilometer extension of the "Canal del Sur", in Guanacaste, and 52 kilometers of secondary canals.
In approximately two months the administrative processes will be to completed allowing the National Groundwater Irrigation and Drainage Services (Senara in Spanish) to publish the tender for the redevelopment of the canal south of Arenal Tempisque Irrigation District (DRAT) which currently irrigates 27,000 hectares. The execution of the works to be tendered will add a further 8000 hectares of irrigation.
Authorities in Guatemala are offering $25.57 million in subsidies and loans to provide access to high technology irrigation systems.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food (Maga) has created a fund called the Integral Development Program for Areas with Potential for Irrigation and Drainage (Plamar in Spanish), which aims to ensure access to irrigation systems with modern technology.
The Ministry of Agriculture has allocated $5 million for the renovation of irrigation infrastructure for 2012.
The Minister of the department, Guillermo Lopez, announcement the investment, the largest in the $107 million project portfolio planned for the year by the entity.
On 22 December the Ministry, along with the National Administration of Aqueducts and Sewers, inaugurated renovation works in District 3 Lempa - Acahuapa , one of the largest irrigated areas in the country, benefiting 115 families who tend their crops over 500 acres.
Within the Ministry of Agriculture’s investment plans for 2012 is the construction of an irrigation system in the Tonosí Valley.
$32 million have been earmarked for this project in the province of Los Santos and the preparations at the sterile fly production plant in Pacora, while the 2012 budget has increased by 35% compared to 2011.
According to an article in Prensa.com, "However, despite the increased funding, producers are skeptical about its use, because most of the projects planned in the past have ended up only existing on paper.
The German Investment and Development Company (DEG) will provide $4 million in capital and grant $8 million of credit to Melones de Nicaragua S.A.
The long-term credit will allow the company to expand its operations.
According to an article in Laprensa.com.ni: "The funds will be invested in expanding rice cultivation areas, in the clearance and construction of irrigation wells in Jicaral, Leon; in the construction of a cogeneration electric power plant based on rice husks with a capacity of producing one megawatt and a program for small producers to process their crops with a thresher in which the company has already invested a million dollars. "