BISHKEK, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Kyrgyzstan's irrigation facilities are to be developed thanks to a Chinese grant, the press service of the government reported on Wednesday citing a kyrgyz official as saying.

"Eleven irrigation facilities are planned to be financed this year, six of them, worth 32 million U.S. dollars, will be funded by a grant from the People's Republic of China," said Kokumbek Tashtanaliev, director of the Department of Water Resources and Melioration under the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Industry and Melioration at a press conference in Bishkek.

"With increasing population, the government pays special attention to the development of new irrigated lands and the provision of new jobs," he said.

In 2017, the Kyrgyz government will put into operation four irrigation facilities, the report said.

Bringing into operation of the planned four irrigation facilities will help develop 1,090 hectares of new irrigated lands and increase water availability on 1,960 hectares of land, which in turn creates about 4,200 new jobs.

Tashtanaliev said that the ministry has proposed 45 irrigation facility projects to be implemented for the period from 2016 to 2026.