Japan will extend a landmine clearance and victim assistance program to Cambodia for three more years with a grant of more than $9 million, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced late on Tuesday.

According to the statement, Foreign Minister Hor Namhong and Japanese Ambassador Yuji Kumamaru will sign an agreement on Monday confirming the 898 million yen ($9.1 million) transfer.

Heng Ratana, director general of the Cambodian Mine Action Center, said the funds will pay for clearing 5,000 hectares of mined land in Battambang’s Bavel and Ratanak Mondol districts.

The first phase of the project, which started in 2009, is due to end this year. Ratana said 3,000 hectares had been cleared since it began.

Last month, CMAC reported that deaths from landmines and unexploded ordnance in the first seven months of 2013 dropped by 36 per cent, down to 74 from 115 landmine casualties in the same period last year.