Announcement of Niger Receives Twelve Million Dollars IDA Credit to Increase Livestock Output on March 15, 1979

, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE eWorldBank 1818 H Street, N.W., Washington, O.C. 20433, U.S.A.• Telephone: (202) 477-1234 IDA NEWS RELEASE NO. 79/50 March 15, 1979 NIGER RECEIVES $12 MILLION iDA CREDIT TO INCREASE LIVESTOCK OUTPUT The International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank's affiliate for concessionary lending, has approved a credit of $12 million to the Republic of Niger to support a five-year program to increase livestock production in rural areas. The project area will extend over three provinces: Maradi, ZiQder, and Diffa, covering the south-eastern part of the country and both pastoral and cropping zones. Some 2 million people live in the project area, of whom 1 .6 million are sedentary crop farmers, and the others are primarily pastoral ists. The 1 ivestock population in the project area is about 1.3 mill ion • cattle, 4.3 million small stock, and 0. 1 miliion camels, about 50% of the national herds in each case. The project will seek to obtain the participation of pastoralists in efforts to improve the management of their animal, water, and pasture resources. Associations of pastoralists, based on existing social groups, will be formed as legally recognized bodies. They will be given exclusive rights to existing and new watering points in their respective areas. They will also receive and provide their members a package of services which includes: supply of drugs and feed supplements; treatment against worms and ticks; materials for breeding and animal health maintenance; and credit for livestock improvement, guaranteed by the pastoralist association. The pas- toralists will also benefit from improvements to existing wells and additional stock watering points--advice on range management measures, and the creation of grazing reserves. Five pastoral centers will be constructed and operated to serve several pastoralist associations. Besides providing the package of services relating to animal health and husbandry, the centers will also include a dispensary with health supplies for the area's inhabitants, and storage for foodgrains and other basic foodstuffs for sale during the late dry season. The sale proceeds will be used to set up revolving funds for future acquisition of such supplies and stocks. I ... NOTE: Money figures are expressed in U.S. dollar equivalents.  - 2 - The Livestock Department of the Ministry of Rural Development will expand its services to provide animal and pastoral productivity services in addition to animal health services. Three innovative project activities under the Livestock Department will be: the training of paraveterinary workers to deliver animal health services; the identification of pastoral • units and the role of pastoral ist associations; and the administration of credits for animal breeding and 11 backgrounding. 11 New vehicles, equipment, offices, and additional staff will be acquired. A new project management unit wil J be set up in the Livestock Department, and prov1s1on will be made for new building construction, staff, and consultant services. The effective collaboration between pastoral ists and technicians in resource management will have major long-term ecological benefits. All herd-owners in the project area, or over 200,000 families, will derive benefits from improved animal health services (vaccinations) and about half of the fami 1 ies from animal productivity services (drugs and feed supplements). Milk and meat output will be increased to 7,500 tons of meat equivalent and 7,200 tons of milk worth $14 mill ion a year after 10 years. In addition, each year specific project activities will benefit 5,000 farnil ies in areas of the pastoral centers, 7,500 cattle fatteners~ and 8,000 sheep fatteners, mostly women. An average herd-owning family is expected to increase its annual livestock income from $1,100 to $1,600 in 10 years. The $12 mill ion IDA credit to Niger is for 50 years, including 10 years • of grace. It will bear no interest, except for a service charge of 3/4 of 1% per annum to cover IDA's administrative services. FpRM NO. 1121 (5-76) T E CHN I CA L D A T A • PROJECT: COUNTRY: TOTAL COST: Livestock Republic of Niger $15 million IDA FINANCING: $12 million, standard IDA terms OTHER FINANCING: Government of Niger, $1.5 mill ion; Caisse Nationale de Credit Agricole, $1 million; and Beneficiaries, $0.5 million IMPLEMENTING ORGANIZATION: Project Management Unit (PMU) Cable address: Livestock Department Minist~re Developpement Rural Ministry of Rural Development Niamey, Niger Niamey, Niger PROJ~CT DESCRIPTION: It will increase livestock productivity both in the pastoral and cropping zones; obtain pastoralists 1 participation in efforts to improve management of animal, water, and pasture resources· broaden the field of competence of the Livestock Department to provide animal and ' pastoral productivity services as well as animal health services; and increase and improve cattle and sheep fattening by smallholders in the cropping zone. The project includes the provision of drugs, vaccines,and feed supplements; delineation of pastoral units and formation of pastoralist associations; construction and operation of five pastoral centers, each serving several pastoralists associations; • advice on animal husbandry and range management techniques and selective extension of stock watering points; extensi-0n of the existing animal health and marketing infrastructure; provision of credit for and advice on cattle and sheep fattening; provision of vehicles, equipment, additional staff, ~nd new offices for the Livestock Department; establishment of a project management unit, including construction of buildings and provision of staff and consultant services. PROCUREMENT: Procurement of civil works, with the exception of pastoral wells (estimated cost $3.3 mi 11 ion), vehicles and equipment (estimated cost $1.5 million), and inputs with the exception of vaccines (estimated cost $1.2 million), will be through international competitive bidding, in accordance with the IDA guidelines in the case of contracts over $50,000. In the case of contracts of $50,000 or less but more than $10,000, procurement will be through competitive bidding in accordance with local procedures, which are acceptable to IDAa For contracts of $10,000 or less, direct competitive purchasing will be employed. The services of internationally recruited staff and consultants wi 11 be obtained fol lowing procedures acceptable to IDA. CONSULTANTS: Two positions in the PMU will be filled through international recruitment, namely the Chiefs of the Pastoral Activities Section and the Commercial and Administrative Section. Consultants will be recruited to undertake the large-scale smallstock vaccine tests (three man-months); identify pastoral units (12 man-months) for developing training methods (six man-months); monitor animal health and productivity activities (10 man-months); and prepare a follow-up project (18 man-months). The project will provide for a total of eight man-years of technical assistance • • ECONOMIC RATE OF RETUR~: ESTrMATED COMPLETJON DATE: 80% 1985 0