THE Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) is planning to help the greening of Myanmar’s central dry zone, said KOICA resident representative Mr Cho Kwang-Geol.

The South Korean agency has launched a joint three-year project, with the Greening Department of the Ministry of Forestry, worth US$1.5 million, he said.
The agreement, signed last month, was aimed at improving the rehabilitation capacity of the deforested Nyaung U region, said Mr Cho. The project would also help small farmers produce firewood and could help the development of small businesses.

“[The agency] has been discussing the details with officers from the Ministry of Forestry, including what kind of trees to grow,” he said.

“We’re also considering the implications of growing trees in the area of Old Bagan without harming the pagodas or other ancient buildings,” said Mr Cho.

In a separate project, the agency is to train skilled Myanmar workers in the technical school project it conducted last year, at the Thagaya industrial zone in Bago Division, said Mr Cho. In cooperation with the Ministry of Industry (2), KOICA had provided teaching aids and installed the necessary machinery, he said.

Meanwhile, construction started last month on a laboratory building under the Irrigation Technology Centre project in Patheingyi township in Mandalay Division.

The project, expected to cost US$2 million, is a joint effort between Myanmar’s Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation and KOICA.

A statement released by KOICA said the agency’s contribution to the project will include sharing South Korea’s knowledge and experience with Myanmar technicians with the aim of upgrading irrigation engineering technology and enhancing the capacity of human resources.