WFP Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific - 2016 SPRs RBB 2016 SPRs by project type | Page 787

Standard Project Report 2016
Project Objectives and Results
Project Objectives
The Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is cognizant of the country’s humanitarian and development
challenges including natural and man-made disasters inducing food insecurity. Aware of the efficiency and
effectiveness of food reserves, and informed by studies conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations (FAO), the Government devised a Strategic Grain Reserve (SGR) programme supported
through the WFP special operation 200635. The objectives of the programme are to:
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Provide emergency food assistance to transitory food-insecure households;
Support communities and farmers with storage facilities;
Assist producers to secure fair prices at harvest times; and
Contribute to domestic food price stabilisation.
Although the initial project objectives remained unchanged in 2016, the focus on infrastructure such as the storage
capacity of 22,500 mt constructed in Kabul under phase I of the project, was reviewed and a new line of support
was defined to: (1) stimulate production and productivity by providing both technical and marketing support to
farmers, (2) provide technical support to the milling industry, and (3) use the SGR to regulate the market and to
provide an immediate response capacity for natural disasters, crises and emergencies. WFP's approach was
re-targeted in agreement with the Government to focus on strategic grain mechanisms and budgets (capital to buy
wheat grains and cover associated running costs) and a completed SGR implementation project document was
submitted to the Government in end-December 2015.
Government resourcing efforts are a critical factor for the successful implementation of the programme. The
availability of sufficient resources from the Government to fund a sustainable SGR purchase strategy would support
the rationale for continued investment in such large-scale storage projects.
Approved Budget for Project Duration (USD)
Cost Category
Capacity Dev.t and Augmentation
11,665,783
Direct Support Costs
1,520,362
Indirect Support Costs
923,030
Total
14,109,175
Project Activities
In the new phase of WFP's support to the Government, emphasis has been placed on knowledge exchange and
capacity development to support the SGR. To this end, WFP held a number of meetings with the World Bank
team as well as with the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock. WFP has also
purchased store fitments, such as plastic pallets, fire extinguishers, stitching machines, moisture meters and gluten
and protein test machines, at a cost of USD 600,000.
The World Bank has developed a USD 30 million project to be implemented in phases spanning a five-year
period (2017- 2021), which involves the construction/rehabilitation of strategic nation-wide storages/silos and the
replenishment of stocks of up to 40,000 mt of wheat. The project document has been reviewed to articulate WFP's
engagement in supporting the capacity development of the Strategic Grain Reserve Agency as well as WFP's role
and responsibilities in the project, e.g., structure design, engineering and supervision of the construction. The
proposal is due to be presented for approval to the World Bank Board in early 2017.
Afghanistan, Islamic Republic of (AF)
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Single Country Special Operation - 200635