On Friday, July 26, the transfer of the world-class project, Majes Siguas, to the Peruvian government was made official, which will benefit more than 350,000 inhabitants in the Arequipa region.

“After many years of paralysis, today (Friday) Majes Siguas becomes a new development opportunity for Peruvian agriculture, hand in hand with the national government that has already managed to unlock major projects such as Chavimochic and Chinecas,” said Peru's Minister of Agrarian Development and Irrigation, Angel Manero,

MIDAGRI reported that this mega irrigation project will turn the Arequipa region into the largest agro-exporting hub in the south of the country, facilitating the placement of new agricultural products in the main international markets.

With the second stage of Majes-Siguas, it will be possible to extend the agricultural frontier by 38,500 hectares of new export crops.

The estimated budget for the execution of the integral project requires an investment of 7.73 billion soles ($2 billion).

Majes-Siguas is one of the most emblematic irrigation projects in Peru, together with the Chavimochic III stage (La Libertad), Chinecas (Ancash), Alto Piura (Piura), and others, focused on increasing the agricultural frontier and generating productive jobs in agriculture.

The agreement signed at the end of last week includes the assignment of the Formulating Unit for the Puesta a Punto Program and the Investment Executing Unit for Majes; the preparation of the Ministerial Resolution that defines the management or program that will assume the administration and concession contract; the appearance in the arbitration proceedings, the coordination with the MIDAGRI Attorney General's Office, as well as the legal defense strategy in the arbitration proceedings.

Unlocking projects to increase the agricultural frontier and generate thousands of jobs in agriculture

Committed to the reactivation and growth of agriculture! The Minister of Agrarian Development and Irrigation stated that the unblocking of irrigation projects in the north and south of the country will boost the generation of thousands of productive jobs and will increase the country's foreign exchange, as well as the conquest of new international markets.

In declarations collected by MIDAGRI, he highlighted that the unblocking of the four large irrigation projects (Chavimochic III, Chinecas, Majes-Siguas and Alto Piura) will contribute to expand the agricultural frontier in more than 236 thousand hectares, and the generation of 421 thousand jobs linked to agro-exports.

He recalled that in April the State-to-State contract was signed between Peru and Canada for the execution of the third stage of Chavimochic III, with an investment of approximately US$ 750 million, for the benefit of close to 130 thousand producers in the north of the country.

He also pointed out the reactivation after almost 20 years of the Chinecas irrigation project (Ancash), with the incorporation of 50,000 new hectares and the improvement of 33,000 hectares, benefiting 17,500 families in the valleys of Santa Lacramarca, Nepeña, Casma and Huarmey.

Peru's President, Dina Boluarte, highlighted that by July 2026, major irrigation projects will be underway, such as Chavimochic III (in the La Libertad region), Chinecas (Ancash), Majes Siguas II (Arequipa), Alto Piura (Piura), Yanapuquio (Moquegua-Arequipa) and Las Delicias (Lambayeque). All these projects will represent a combined investment of USD 3,000 million and will enable the incorporation of more than 200,000 new hectares for agriculture.

Rehabilitation of terraces

Similarly, MIDAGRI informed that a project for the recovery of 120 thousand hectares of terraces, located in the highlands and the jungle belt of the country, will be carried out with an investment of 650 million Peruvian soles.

This initiative, called “Restoration and Revaluation of Terraces Project”, has the following goals: water recharge and reinforcement in the basins to store and ensure water for agriculture, restoration of the terrace systems and incorporation of technified irrigation, articulation with the market and revaluation of the water culture and the cultivation of crops in terraces.

“The impact (of the restoration of terraces) will be tremendous; we are talking about more than three Majes-Siguas projects in terms of agricultural land alone. In addition to the cultural landscapes, there will be efficiency in the use of water, soil, and microclimates, which are generated there and allow the development of an important biodiversity,” said the minister.

He indicated that the project for the recovery of terraces at a national level is expected to increase productivity and reduce the poverty conditions of close to one million farmers engaged in family agriculture in the Andean and high Andean areas.