Press release No.: IFAD/50/08

Rome, 8 October 2008 - A US$8.6 million grant to the Republic of Congo from IFAD will enhance the production of improved plant materials and seeds and support the marketing of agricultural products. The IFAD programme is co-financed by the OPEC Fund for International Development.

The total cost of the Rural Development Project in the Likouala, Pool and Sangha Departments is US$18.7 million.

The grant agreement was signed today in Rome by Pacifique Issoϊbeka, Minister for Economy, Finance and Budget of the Republic of Congo and Lennart Båge, President of IFAD.

Current yields in the region are very low because of the effects of mosaic disease on cassava and poor quality seed. Training will be provided and agricultural services will be extended to ensure that smallholders have full access to improved seeds, planting materials and the know how for better cultivation practices.

There are very few rural development programmes currently operating in the area. The IFAD project will target the most vulnerable groups and will cover 250 villages and reach approximately 20,000 households. Local governments, communities, farmers’ groups and individual citizens will be involved in a highly participatory process. The project supports the Congolese government’s agenda of fostering peace by involving ex-combatants in productive sector including agricultural and food production.

The IFAD project will also help improve rural roads and therefore reduce transportation costs, increase productivity of small animals through re-stocking, strengthen farmers’ groups and empower women and young people through their participation in project activities. Innovative mechanisms will be introduced to enhance development, such as the use of mobile phones (SMS and internet) by smallholders for relaying information on markets and prices.

To date, IFAD has provided a total of US$37.6 million in loans for five projects in the Republic of Congo, directly benefiting over 100 000 households.

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IFAD was created 30 years ago to tackle rural poverty, a key consequence of the droughts and famines of the early 1970s. Since 1978, IFAD has invested more than US$10 billion in low-interest loans and grants that have helped over 400 million very poor rural women and men increase their incomes and provide for their families. IFAD is an international financial institution and a specialized United Nations agency. It is a global partnership of OECD, OPEC and other developing countries. Today, IFAD supports more than 200 programmes and projects in 85 developing countries and one territory.