(Ecofin Agency) - In Algeria, the area of irrigated farmland will almost double by 2019 to reach 2 million ha. This was announced on February 26 by the minister of agriculture, rural development, and fishery, Maghreb Emergent, reports.

The minister indicated that to date, more than half of the planned area (1.3 million ha) are irrigated. Indeed, since the national extension program for the irrigated area was launched in 2000, the country has succeeded in irrigating just 1.3 million ha of land in 18 years. Despite this tepid achievement, the minister is confident that 2 million ha of agricultural land will be irrigated by next year.

The extension program aims at improving yield by providing water needed for high growth, especially in arid or very dry weather regions, as well as for crops that require more water than available in the area.