Thailand - Second National Agricultural Extension Project

Document of The World Bank FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY F1e t;QPN Report No. P-2610-TH REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL BANK FOR RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT TO THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ON A PROPOSED LOAN TO THE KINGDOM OF THAILAND FOR THE SECOND NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL EXTENSTION PROJECT July 23, 1979 This document has a restricted distribution and may be used by recipients only in the performance of their official duties. Its contents may not otherwise be disclosed without World Bank authorization.  CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS Currency Unit = Baht (i) $1 = B 20 Baht 1 = $0.05 Baht million = $50,000 WEIGHTS AND MEASURES 1 meter (m) = 39.37 inches (in) 1 square meter (sq m) = 10.8 square feet (sq ft) 1 cubic meter (cu m) 35.3 cubic feet (cu ft) 1 kilometer (km) = 0.62 miles (mi) I hectare (ha) = 10,000 sq m or 2.471 acres 1 kilogram (kg) = 2.2046 pounds (lbs) LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS DAE - Department of Agricultural Extension EA - Extension Agent HEA - Home Economics Agent MOAC - Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives SMS - Subject Matter Specialist THAI FISCAL YEAR October 1 - September 30 l~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY THATLAND SECOND NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION PROJECT Loan and Project Summary Borrower: Kingdom of Thailand Amount: $40 million equivalent Terms: 20 years, including 5 years of grace, with interest at 7.9% per annum. Project The proposed project is the second phase of a program to Description: establish effective agricultural extension services nation- wide through a system of frequent and regular visits to farmers by trained extension agents. Under the project, the extension program will be extended to the 39 provinces not covered under the first phase project (being financed under Ln. 1393-TH). The project makes provision for: (a) further strengthening of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) and the establishment of clear lines of command and coordination from the national level to the districts, including the establishment of nine regional offices; (b) increasing the number of extension, supervisory, technical and support staff by about 1,800 persons; (c) local training for all extension workers and a limited number of overseas fellowships and training tours to neighboring countries; (d) the construction of two regional training centers, about 40 combined provincial and district extension centers, about 270 district extension centers and about 310 housing facilities (with 3 apartments each) for extension agents; (e) the procurement of vehicles, equipment, furniture and demonstra- tion materials; (f) the employment of agricultural and engineering consultants; and (g) project monitoring and evaluation. The project is expected to benefit some 2.3 million farm families by improving productivity, raising incomes and generally improving the quality of life at a relatively low investment cost of $32 and incremental operating costs of $4.70 per farm family. Project risks relate mainly to the rate and degree of adoption of extension recommendations by the farm families. As this is crucial to the success of the project, the work of the extension personnel will be continually monitored and evaluated during project implementation. This document has a restricted distribution and may be used by recipients only in the performance of their official duties. Its contents may not otherwise be disclosed without World Bank authorization.  Estimated Cost: Local Foreign Total ------ ($ million) ------ Civil works 15.1 8.1 23.2 Vehicles, equipment and materials 3.8 6.3 10.1 Training and consultants 1.8 0.9 2.7 Incremental operating costs 16.6 1.5 18.1 Total base costs 37.3 16.8 54.1 Contingencies: Physical 1.8 1.1 2.9 Price 8.9 4.1 13.0 Total Project Cost 48.0 22.0 70.0 (including $4.2 million in taxes and duties) Financing Plan: Local Foreign Total