Value Chain Agric. Project : Evaluating Path Covered, Prospects

The execution rate of the Agriculture, Infrastructure and Value Chain Development Project (AIVDP) designed to run for five years has scored a 55 per cent achievement rate so far. The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Gabriel Mbairobe, in the presence of South West Governor, Bernard Okalia Bilai, chaired the 8th Project Steering Committee meeting where he called on stakeholders to ensure that earmarked projects are executed before the closure of the programme in 2025. The meeting also examined and validated the budget and work plan for 2024, as well as a presentation of the 2023 annual report.
Dr. Bisong Ogork Ntui, AIVDP Coordinator, said for the last four years, AIVDP has enhanced agriculture productivity, value addition and market access in the South West Region, projects that have had direct impact on the population. But, apart from capacity building and institutional development, basic social and public infrastructure have been made available, not overlooking the micro finance component, a means of assisting farmers out of financial difficulties through loans. 
For the past four years, some of AIVDP’s major activities have been; the construction and rehabilitation of 32 water schemes, the construction of two semi-industrial oil palm processing units, as well as two semi industrial cocoa processing units. The project also constructed 30 rural markets with 18 of the markets already being used by the population. The creation of 30 farm gate hangers (infrastructure built along the road where farmers bring their produce and are able to sell from there). The construction of seven health centres, four have been completed and equipped and are being used by the population. With 200 hectares of arable land to be irrigated in Lebialem Division, five lots have been completed. “We hope this would make a huge contribution to the production of potatoes which many p...