RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture in the West Bank launched July 2 the Resilient Land and Resources Management Project, which is one of its largest. The $41.5 million project is funded by the Palestinian government, in coordination with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the OPEC Fund for International Development.

The project is among the most important for developing agriculture in the Palestinian territories, and it will take six years of work. It aims to raise the levels of agricultural economic growth in the territories, specifically in urban areas, by increasing the area of planted lands and agricultural production, consequently boosting the financial profit.

The director general of the project, Ammar Salahat, told Al-Monitor that as soon as the plan was launched, the Ministry of Agriculture held an intensive workshop July 5 for its staff to form a project management unit made up of involved governorates and departments to distribute tasks and powers.

Minister of Agriculture Sufian Sultan said during the inauguration, attended by Al-Monitor, that the project is in alignment with the impact study of the Natural Resource Management Program funded by IFAD and also "complies with the national strategy of the agricultural sector for the years 2017 to 2022 and with the national political agenda and its priorities during the same period.”