IFAD plans $41.7m project for charland regions

IFAD sources said the project, which in now at the formulation stage, will cover districts in the lower Meghna estuary and nearby coastal areas in southern Bangladesh, including Barisal, Patuakhali, Bhola, Lakkhipur and Noakhali. Infrastructure and market access in this region -- which is characterised by land accretion -- are especially poorly developed.

Local Government and Engineering Department will implement the project which is expected to take off in July 2006. The project will include entrepreneurs engaged in trade -- both within and outside formal markets -- and primary producers -- farmers and others.

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Special efforts will be made to target women traders, sources said. The goal of the project will be to create employment and economic opportunities for poor people in disadvantaged areas by increasing commercial and trading activities around markets in estuarine and coastal chars, sources said.

Through the market infrastructure development component, the project will support the development of physical infrastructure for markets, market facilities and farm-to-market roads, and build up a capacity for market management.

The component will promote greater participation by market committees and traders in the development of market development plans and establish a fund for market maintenance.

The market enterprise development component will support market traders and other small trading enterprises in terms of technical and management training and access to credit.

The project will also provide support for farmers and access to credit. It will also provide support for farmers and others in producing and linking to markets, including the establishment of enterprise development groups of market entrepreneurs.

The project will also promote opportunities for women traders through development of women's areas in growth centre markets and adding such areas to other markets.

Gender-orientation training will be provided to enable women to become active members of market committees.

Through its support for primary producers component, the project will seek to promote the market-orientated production of crops, livestock, fish and non-farm products and provide credit and technical/social training to primary producer groups.

The marketing services component will support improved linkages with markets inside and outside the region. Market development centres will provide traders and producers with information on market chains and market opportunities.

The sources said discussions are going on with the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Dhaka, possibly for co-financing in the amount of 4.8 million US dollar but this is not yet confirmed. 4.5 million US dollar will be provided by non-governmental organisations.