Rural Business support Project JFPR 9100-AF

Objective: to sustain increase in farm incomes by enabling farmers, agri-processors and traders to engage in profitable production, processing and marketing industries.

Project will invest in potato, carpet and oil seed value chain production, processing and marketing in districts of Bamyan, Balkh and Nangarhar provinces by providing technical assistance and capital to improve the productivity and value chain development through; (i) improved access to technology, (ii) development and expansion of small enterprises,
(iii) market infrastructure investment, (iv) improved access to finance and (v) strengthening linkages of producers, traders and processors to market supply chain.

 The project will also develop the capacity of extension agents, producers and association members by training them in various areas of production, processing and marketing.

Impact and Outcome: The project impact will be enhancement in agriculture productivity, improvement in quality and efficiency of production, processing and higher market value for sustainable farming activities which will result in higher and sustainable living standard of farming communities.

 Project Investment Plan: The investment cost of the project is $18 million including taxes and duties.

 Financing Plan:

 

Source	Total	%
Asian Development Bank	18	100
Government of Afghanistan	0	0
Total	18	100

 

Estimated Project Completion Date:          30 November 2010

Implementation Arrangements: The project is funded by the Japanese Fund for Poverty Reduction and managed by the Asian Development Bank, executed by the Ministry of Finance an implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock. Consultant to the project is Roots of Peace.

The RBSP was approved in December 2006 to be implemented over three years. An Asian Development Bank Mission visited Kabul on April 2008 to establish relationship with key players and agree on necessary changes to the inception report on overall project implementation.

The PMO will be responsible for procuring civil works, goods and services, and the necessary internal approvals from the Ministry of Finance and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Project Benefits and Beneficiaries: The Project will provide better production, processing and marketing opportunities for project targeted areas through the introduction of technological know-how to the beneficiaries whereby the quality of production would be enhanced. Improvement in processing will also result in domestic and international market improvement.