Announcement of Colombia to Intensify Agricultural Research with World Bank Assistance on June 9, 1983

. . . ~ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE .World Bank 1818 H Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20433, U.S.A.• Telephone: (202) 477-1234 BANK NEWS RELEASE NO. 83/104 Contact: Ciro Gamarra June 9, 1983 (202) 477-5320 COLOMBIA TO INTENSIFY AGRICULTURAL RESEARCd WITH WORLD BANK ASSISTANCE Colombia will launch a project to raise production of food and export commodities through research and technology transfer. To help this purpose, World Bank is making a loan of $63.4 million from the resources of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development to the Colombian Agricultural Institute, with the guarantee of the Republic of Colombia. The pr·oject, to cost $206.6 million, will intensify agricultural research for Colombia's most important commodities such as beef and dairy products, horticultural products, cotton, rice, and grain legumes. It will promote careful selection of research topics, as well as rapid dissemination and application of research findings. The project will also carry out studies on the transfer of technology. Research will focus on commodities that have been reviewed for their importance in Colombia's exports and • internal consumption • The project will also train scientific and technical staff of the Colombian Agricultural Institute, the project's implementing organization, to strengthen the Institute's research capabilities, including its research planning and review systems. The project also includes the rehabilitation of 15 existing research stations and two v~t~~inary laboratories and the establishment of one new station. Post-graduate training will be provided for about 270 staff, while some 250 research and support personnel will attend courses at research centers including the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Colombia itself, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in Mexico, and International Potato Center (CIP) in Peru. National and international consultants will be retained to provide scientific, technical, and building design and management advice. Technological assistance will be provided to review Colombia's farm extension systems and to prepare a plan for the strengthening the Institute's technology transfer activities. The project is expected significantly to benefit a large number of farmers,. especially small-scale producers in the interandean valleys. The World Bank loan includes a capitalized 0.25% front-end fee and • is for 17 years, including four years of grace, at a variable annual interest rate linked to the cost of Bank borrowings. The J.oan also carries an annual commitment charge of 0.75% on undisbursed balances. NOTE: Money figures are expressed in U.S. dollar equivlents.