The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) today approved a grant of $5.39 million to the Central African Republic. The grant will assist the production of an additional 32,000 tonnes of foodstuffs and enhance food security for 100,000 people. It will also help the Central African Republic to implement an emergency food programme to tackle the surge in food prices exacerbated by the war between Russia and Ukraine.

The grant will help increase agricultural productivity and production in the Central African Republic, especially rice, maize and cassava. The project will have a positive impact on the food security of nearly 100,000 people with an expected production of 32,350 tonnes in the first season from September 2022 to February 2023. It will contribute to  resilience of households and will increase incomes ($840, on average, per farmer and per household and the quality of life of small farmers in the target group.

The grant will provide for the procurement of 1.8 tonnes of maize seed, 1.2 tonnes of rice seed and 75,0000 linear metres of cassava for the benefit of farmers. This will comprise pre-basic seed (seed produced by agricultural research centres) and basic seed (seed produced by approved seed bodies, with the assistance of research technicians of State technical services).

The project will also procure from local seed producers 130 tonnes of maize seed, sufficient to sow 4500 hectares; 30 tonnes of paddy rice seed, sufficient for 700 hectares, and 5 million linear metres of cassava, for planting in 1800 hectares.

In addition, the programme will procure, via a tendering process, 750 tonnes of fertiliser, consisting of 500 tonnes of NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) and 250 tonnes of urea, to cover the fertiliser 5200 hectares (4500 hectares of maize and 700 hectares of rice).

To enable producers to master growing techniques, part of the grant will be used to train workers in three national institutions active in the field of agriculture. A vehicle and office equipment and materials will be made available for this purpose.

"The war in Ukraine has exacerbated the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and of the political and security situation in the Central African Republic. The grant approved today by the Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group responds to the urgent needs of many vulnerable rural households," said Mamady Souaré, the Bank Group's country manager in the Central African Republic. "The grant will provide farmers with seed and fertilizers to boost food production and, thus, improve food security in the Central African Republic", he continued.

On 20 May 2022 the Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group set up a $1.5-billion African Emergency Food Production Facility (https://bit.ly/3Pa8rpL). The facility will provide agricultural seeds to 20 million African farmers to boost wheat, maize, rice and soya and the goal is to produce an additional 38 million tonnes of food and to generate $12 billion over the next two years.

The grant to the CAR is from Pillar I of the Transition Support Facility (https://bit.ly/3o3RFwz) of the African Development Bank Group, which offers a fast, simple and flexible disbursement system, designed to help countries build peace, construct resilient institutions, stabilize their economies and lay the foundations for inclusive growth.

The project will be implemented in five regions of the country: Region No.1 (Ombella Mpoko and Lobaye), Region No.2 (Nana Mambéré and Mambéré Kadéi), Region No.3 (Ouham and Ouham Pendé), Region No.4 (Ouaka, Kémo and Nana Gribizi), Region No.7 (Bangui and its surrounding area).