H2Olmos-Odebrech – the coordinators of a sustainable water diversion project in northern Peru – is set to auction some 38,000ha of irrigated land in Olmos, Lambayeque, on 25 November.
The auction will be open to both Peruvian and international companies, with lots expected to sell for US$4,250 per hectare, according to a report by SimFRUIT.
The irrigation of the fields is the result of diverting rainwater westward from the Huancabamba River at the Limon Dam down a 20km tunnel (constructed by H2Olmos-Odebrecht) through the eastern Andes mountains to Olmos.
“This project offers a unique opportunity to acquire agricultural land with water rights,” explained Alfonso Pinillos, commercial manager of H2Olmos-Odebrech in Peru.
Although water is scarce in Olmos, the project coordinators claim the climate is ideal for growing a range of agricultural crops.
According to Rodrigo Cillóniz, who is responsible for marketing the project, the Olmos irrigation project offers a range of advantages for the fruit industry in particular, given the temperate climate in the area where the minimum temperature is 15oC and rainfall is less than 150mm a year.
