Deal signed to improve market access for poor farmers

IFAD to provide $23.86m

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) will provide $23.86 million as a highly concessional loan to fund the $214 million Second National Agricultural Technology Programme (NATP-II) to increase incomes and reduce extreme poverty for more than one million poor farming households by increasing agricultural production and improving access to markets.

 The project will also be funded by the World Bank ($176 million) and USAID ($7.4 million). 
NATP-II will cover 57 of the country's 64 districts and span a broad range of agroecological zones across Bangladesh.
The government of Bangladesh and IFAD signed a financial agreement in this regard recently. 
The agreement was signed by Mohammad Mejbahuddin, senior secretary, Economic Relations Division, Ministry of Planning, Government of Bangladesh and Hubert Boirard, country programme manager for Bangladesh, IFAD.
“In Bangladesh, poverty in rural areas is still three times higher than in urban areas. Under the new programme, farming households will benefit directly or indirectly from extension services, hands-on training and on-farm demonstrations of climate-smart technologies and applied research,” said Boirard.
The programme will also strengthen the capacity of the National Agriculture Research System (NARS) to generate and disseminate agricultural technologies aimed at increasing farm productivity and reducing post-harvest losses, promote farmer groups and producer organizations and link them to existing markets.
Since 1978, IFAD has invested a total of $717.2 million in 31 projects in Bangladesh benefitting more than 10 million households.

Deal signed to improve market access for poor farmers

IFAD to provide $23.86m

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) will provide $23.86 million as a highly concessional loan to fund the $214 million Second National Agricultural Technology Programme (NATP-II) to increase incomes and reduce extreme poverty for more than one million poor farming households by increasing agricultural production and improving access to markets. The project will also be funded by the World Bank ($176 million) and USAID ($7.4 million). NATP-II will cover 57 of the countrys 64 districts and span a broad range of agroecological zones across Bangladesh. The government of Bangladesh and IFAD signed a financial agreement in this regard recently. The agreement was signed by Mohammad Mejbahuddin, senior secretary, Economic Relations Division, Ministry of Planning, Government of Bangladesh and Hubert Boirard, country programme manager for Bangladesh, IFAD. In Bangladesh, poverty in rural areas is still three times higher than in urban areas. Under the new programme, farming households will benefit directly or indirectly from extension services, hands-on training and on-farm demonstrations of climate-smart technologies and applied research, said Boirard. The programme will also strengthen the capacity of the National Agriculture Research System (NARS) to generate and disseminate agricultural technologies aimed at increasing farm productivity and reducing post-harvest losses, promote farmer groups and producer organizations and link them to existing markets. Since 1978, IFAD has invested a total of $717.2 million in 31 projects in Bangladesh benefitting more than 10 million households.