The Asian Development Bank is working with Afghanistan to increase the incomes of vegetable farmers in Bamyan, Kabul, and Panjsheer provinces, as well as oilseed producers in Nangahar and Balkh provinces. The project is helping farmers store potatoes and onions more efficiently so there is less waste. It is also establishing two oil-processing facilities in Jalalabad and Mazar-e-Sharif to produce high-quality edible oil for human consumption.
Project Name | Enhanced Value Chains | ||||
Project Number | 45259-001 | ||||
Country | Afghanistan |
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Project Status | Closed | ||||
Project Type / Modality of Assistance | Grant |
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Source of Funding / Amount |
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Strategic Agendas | Inclusive economic growth |
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Drivers of Change | Gender Equity and Mainstreaming Partnerships |
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Sector / Subsector | Agriculture and Natural Resources / Agriculture, natural resources and rural development |
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Gender Equity and Mainstreaming | Some gender elements | ||||
Description | The expected project impact is a sustained increase in farm incomes in the project areas by enabling farmers, agri-processors and traders to engage in profitable production, processing, and marketing industries. The project will achieve this by developing value chains for a number of commodities: fresh fruits, vegetables, edible oils, and honey. The project outcome is that farmers, agri-processors and marketers undertake business in more efficient value chains for selected commodities. This will be reflected by decreased production losses at post-harvest and through improved efficiency of production and agri-processing. The project will promote the establishment of commercial farming operations, processing, quality improvement, and will facilitate linkages to high value markets. The Project will consist of two components: (i) improved agriculture value chains of selected commodites, and (ii) project management. The project will focus on 10 provinces in the Central, North and North-east, and Eastern Regions. | ||||
Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy | Afghanistan is a poor rural country and according to the latest National Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (NRVA), rural households accounted for 80% of the total population and rural poverty accounted for 84% of the poverty nationwide (NRVA 2007/08). The national poverty rate is 36%; however there is significant regional variation with poverty levels exceeding 57% in some provinces. Agriculture is an important sector to Afghanistan as 36% of all households rely on farming with another 6% depending upon farm wages as their main source of income. Following decades of conflict and neglect many agricultural industries have low productivity and much of the market infrastructure and systems are in a serious state of disrepair. This is a major constraint to the successful implementation of initiatives to increase incomes in rural communities. The Government recognizes that economic growth is key to reducing poverty and that agriculture is an important sector in this process. While the causes of poverty in Afghanistan have yet to be thoroughly studied, there is consensus that poverty is linked to low economic growth and inadequate income-generating opportunities, particularly in rural areas. The Ministry of Agriculture Irrigation and Livestock's (MAIL) Agriculture Sector Development Master Plan emphasizes that rising farm incomes drive the rural nonfarm sector and that efforts to stimulate its growth without increasing demand for agricultural products will not bring about the targeted results. MAIL prioritizes activities that rapidly stimulate employment and thus increase farm incomes and wage rates. The ministry supports the development of the private sector, a key pillar of the Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS). The premise behind this project is that incomes across the rural sector are improved when all elements of the value-added chain are addressed. Consequently, project interventions should not be confined to just on-farm technologies and capacity building, but should also consider reducing constraints elsewhere in the value chain such as post-harvest storage/handling, processing, and marketing. The project will focus on the entire chain rather than a component such as production, and thus will ensure that all the parts required to stimulate and sustain economic development are in place. |
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Impact | Incomes of vegetable farmers (Bamyan, Kabul, Panjsheer provinces) and oilseed producers (Nangahar and Balkh provinces) are improved |
Project Outcome | |
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Description of Outcome | Production of marketable outputs of selected vegetable and oilseed commodities in target provinces is increased |
Progress Toward Outcome | Physical activities of the project were successfully completed in June 2017 and financial closure of the grant is underway. The project account will be closed in November 2018. The achievements under the project are listed below: 1) In total, 1,697 on farm potato storages and 75 community potato storages were constructed. The initial target for on-farm potato storages was 1,316. All the additional storages and activities were completed within the original scope and budget of the project. The assessments show that the potato (marketed) yield has significantly increased compared to the target of 20 tons per hectare. 2) Physical activities of the project were completed in June 2017. In total, 957 on-farm onion storages and 81 community onion storages were constructed. The initial targets for on-farm onion storages and community storages were 818 and 80 respectively. All the additional storages were built within the original scope and fund of the project. The assessments show that the yield has significantly increased compared to the target of 20 tons per hectare. 3) Edible oil refinery buildings in Nangarhar and Balkh were completed in 2015 and have been turned over to farmer cooperatives. The facilities are currently operational and refined oil is produced to market. Initial assessments show that the farmers in Balkh province have cultivated more cotton compared to last years. The factory in Mazar sells a liter of refined oil for 80 AFS and the factory in Jalalabad sells it for 87 AFS. Whereas, the prices of unrefined oil ranges between 57-66 AFS/Lit. The production capacity of edible oil facilities in Jalalabad and Mazar have considerably increased. |
Implementation Progress | |
Description of Project Outputs | Production management capacity of participating communities is improved On-farm storage losses of potatoes and onions are reduced Two oil-processing facilities in Jalalabad and Mazar-e-Sharif produce high-quality edible oil for human consumption Project is managed, monitored, and evaluated properly |
Status of Implementation Progress (Outputs, Activities, and Issues) | 1.All civil works, goods and consultants contracts are awarded. Achieved. M&E plan established in Q2 2014 Ongoing. 15th Quarterly reports submitted on-time. (i) The project has achieved more than its target and 12,258 farmers have been trained where 20% were female beneficiaries. (ii) Consulting firm was recruited and guidelines developed with translation to local languages. (iii) Workshops of Training to Trainers (TOT) and Training to Farmers (TOF) have been conducted. 1. The contracts for the supply of equipment and for civil works of the facilities were awarded in March and May 2014, respectively. The facility was completed in 2015 and handed over to cooperative. 2. The price has been increased from AF70/liter, while currently it is sold out at Afs 90. 3. Civil works and equipment installation are completed, an assessment of the price has been done. 3. Both companies were supported to participate in Agricultural Exhibition in Kabul in order to establish market linkages with edible oil traders at the country level. 1. With establishment of additional potato storages the farmer beneficiaries now have the opportunity to store their potato with reduced post harvest losses. 2. Baseline surveys completed and the feasibility study report shows that the losses in potato storage as of now reduced from 40% to 3%. 2. The assessments show that the loss in potato storage has been significantly decreased, below the initial target of 2%. Baseline surveys completed Q1 2014, while reduction in loses of onion storage has been determined where the stored onions are produced to market, and current assessment shows that it is reduced to 2% loses. |
Geographical Location |
Safeguard Categories | |
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Environment | C |
Involuntary Resettlement | C |
Indigenous Peoples | C |
Summary of Environmental and Social Aspects | |
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Environmental Aspects | The Project will construct on-farm and community level vegetable storages (potatoes, onions). The project will provide additional equipment to further refine edible oil to improve quality for human consumption. The project will not increase oil processing capacity. Development of any facilities that may have a negative impact on the Environment will be excluded. Based on the REA checklists the Project has been categorized C therefore, no Environmental Assessment is required. |
Involuntary Resettlement | The project will improve the value chains of selected agricultural commodities. Project activities will include construction of on farm and post-harvest facilities (eg. poultry layer facilities, cool rooms, grading equipment). A set of criteria will be established to assess feasibility of facility interventions. Proposed facilities or construction activities that have potential for involuntary land acquisition and resettlement will be excluded from the project. Procedures for voluntary land donation will be prepared to be applied by the implementing consultant. |
Indigenous Peoples | The project will improve the value chains of selected agricultural commodities. Project activities will include construction of on farm and post-harvest facilities (eg. poultry layer facilities, cool rooms, grading equipment). The project will not trigger the application of ADB SPS (2009) on Indigenous People. Farmers from various ethnic backgrounds will benefits from the improved chain of rural commodities. |
Stakeholder Communication, Participation, and Consultation | |
During Project Design | The project concept is based on a proposal by Ministry of Agriculture Irrigation and Livestock discussed initially between the Afghanistan Resident Mission, the Embassy of Japan in Kabul and representatives of the Japan International Cooperation Agency based in Afghanistan. |
During Project Implementation | The project was physically completed in October 2017 and all the non-physical activities i.e. feasibility studies, impact assessment and project final report preparation have also been carried out, and the relevant documents/reports have been submitted to ADB. |
Business Opportunities | |
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Consulting Services | Feasibility studies - $360,000 (ICS) M&E specialist - $150,000 (ICS) Implementing partner consulting firm - $1,096,000 (QCBS) Financial systems specialist - $60,000 (ICS) M&E specialist - $45,000 (ICS) Audit - $40,000 (LCS) |
Procurement | Oil refining equipment - $1,400,000 (ICB) Oil refining storage facilities - $600,000 (NCB) Pilot on-farm storages - $320,000 (shopping) Pilot community storages - $250,000 (shopping) On-farm demonstration equipment - $360,000 (shopping) Equity scheme (on-farm storages) - $10,475,000 (community participation) |
Responsible ADB Officer | Ayubi, Mohammad Hanif |
Responsible ADB Department | Central and West Asia Department |
Responsible ADB Division | Afghanistan Resident Mission |
Executing Agencies |
Ministry of Finance [email protected] Pashtunistan Watt, Kabul, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan |
Timetable | |
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Concept Clearance | 26 Oct 2011 |
Fact Finding | 28 Nov 2011 to 04 Dec 2011 |
MRM | - |
Approval | 19 Sep 2012 |
Last Review Mission | - |
Last PDS Update | 25 Sep 2018 |
Grant 9167-AFG
Milestones | |||||
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Approval | Signing Date | Effectivity Date | Closing | ||
Original | Revised | Actual | |||
19 Sep 2012 | 21 Nov 2012 | 21 Nov 2012 | 31 Dec 2016 | 31 Dec 2017 | 11 Dec 2018 |
Financing Plan | Grant Utilization | ||||
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Total (Amount in US$ million) | Date | ADB | Others | Net Percentage | |
Project Cost | 29.48 | Cumulative Contract Awards | |||
ADB | 0.00 | 19 Sep 2012 | 0.00 | 18.34 | 99% |
Counterpart | 10.98 | Cumulative Disbursements | |||
Cofinancing | 18.50 | 19 Sep 2012 | 0.00 | 18.34 | 99% |
Project Data Sheets (PDS) contain summary information on the project or program. Because the PDS is a work in progress, some information may not be included in its initial version but will be added as it becomes available. Information about proposed projects is tentative and indicative.
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Title | Document Type | Document Date |
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Enhanced Agriculture Value Chains for Sustainable Livelihoods: Implementation Completion Memorandum | Implementation Completion Memorandum | Dec 2018 |
Enhanced Agricultural Value Chains for Sustainable Livelihoods: Audited Project Financial Statements (21 December 2014-20 December 2015) | Audited Project Financial Statements | Aug 2016 |
Enhanced Agricultural Value Chains for Sustainable Livelihoods Project | Procurement Plans | Aug 2013 |
Enhanced Value Chains: Project Data Sheet (Pashto Translation) | Translated PDS | Feb 2013 |
Enhanced Value Chains: Project Data Sheet (Dari Translation) | Translated PDS | Feb 2013 |
Enhanced Agricultural Value Chains for Sustainable Livelihoods | Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction | Aug 2012 |
Safeguard Documents See also: Safeguards
Safeguard documents provided at the time of project/facility approval may also be found in the list of linked documents provided with the Report and Recommendation of the President.
None currently available.
Evaluation Documents See also: Independent Evaluation
None currently available.
Related Publications
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The Access to Information Policy (AIP) establishes the disclosure requirements for documents and information ADB produces or requires to be produced in its operations to facilitate stakeholder participation in ADB's decision-making. For more information, refer to the Safeguard Policy Statement, Operations Manual F1, and Operations Manual L3.
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Tenders
No tenders for this project were found.
Contracts Awarded
No contracts awarded for this project were found
Procurement Plan
Title | Document Type | Document Date |
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Enhanced Agricultural Value Chains for Sustainable Livelihoods Project | Procurement Plans | Aug 2013 |