The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has approved a loan of $260.4 million to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to support the Project to Support the Development of Value Chains, an integral component of the Agriculture Transformation Programme (PADCV-PTA).
The project, with a total cost of $311.6 million, includes a $250.4 million loan from the African Development Fund and a $10 million loan from the Transition Support Facility. The DRC government and beneficiaries will contribute $51.2 million in counterpart funding.
This initiative aims to enhance the country’s food self-sufficiency by boosting production of key staple crops including rice, cassava, maize, and soya.
With large-scale food imports amounting to $3 billion in 2023, this project seeks to mitigate vulnerability to external shocks such as climate change and armed conflict.
The project will rehabilitate and expand 295 000 hectares of farmland with climate-resilient seeds, establish 1 600 farmer field schools, and develop irrigated rice-growing areas for intensive production.
Key components include providing credit for agricultural inputs, upgrading 600 km of rural tracks, and organizing value chain stakeholders into cooperative companies to leverage economies of scale.
Implementation will occur across six provinces – Kongo Central, Kwango, Maï-Ndombe, Kasaï Oriental, Lomami, and South Kivu – benefiting 900 000 farming households. The project is expected to increase crop yields by 80%, boost agricultural production by 1.68 million tonnes annually, and reduce food imports by $500 million per year.
Additionally, it will impact around 21 million people in major urban centres, including Kinshasa, Mbuji-Mayi, and Bukavu, enhancing regional integration with Angola.
Serge N’Guessan, AfDB’s Director General for Central Africa, emphasized the strategic importance of this investment: “The African Development Bank is a strategic partner of the DRC, whose top authorities have decided to make agriculture the priority sector for the country’s development. This project will enable the rapid implementation of the National Food and Agriculture Pact, which is part of this national vision.”
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