The daily Japanese newspaper The Mainichi, reported that the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Myanmar government signed an agreement to launch a 390 million yen (USD 3.6 million), 4-year long, project to boost irrigation and agricultural management in Myanmar.

Slated to start in May, the project will be conducted in six townships of Shwebo district, Sagaing region, home to some of the largest irrigated farmland in Myanmar.

Developing the agriculture promotion system, improving the rice value chain, establishing a water management organization for farmers and improving profitably by obtaining a geographical indication tag for Shwebo Pawsan, a high-end variety of local rice, among other things, are some of the objectives of the agreement.