The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors on April 8 approved a $30 million financing for the Resilient Agri-food Clusters Development Project for the Kyrgyz Republic. The project will be complemented by a $5 million grant from the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP). With a combined financing of $35 million, the project aims to boost the productivity and climate resilience of dairy and horticulture agri-food clusters in the Kyrgyz Republic.
“Recognizing agriculture as a cornerstone of the Kyrgyz Republic’s economy, the World Bank prioritizes the sector alongside energy and water in its new 2024-2028 Country Partnership Framework. The new project marks the beginning of a series of initiatives designed to support the Cabinet of Ministers’ vision for a modernized, competitive, and climate-resilient agricultural sector,” said Tatiana Proskuryakova, World Bank Regional Director for Central Asia.
The Resilient Agri-food Clusters Development Project will support producers, processors, and other value chain participants in improving their production quality, volumes, and access to markets by supporting investment loans for selected agri-food clusters, training and capacity building for agri-food clusters, seed system enhancement, and livestock breeding and information management system improvement. It will also focus on enhancing climate adaptation and mitigation through improved technologies and practices for producers, processors, and public services. Additionally, the project will promote the use of digital technologies for accessing market information and climate-smart technologies.
The project will directly support 8,000 beneficiaries within the agricultural value chain, with an additional 20,000 benefiting indirectly. Direct beneficiaries will include individual farmers and producers, producer groups, small and medium processors, and other value chain participants in the agri-food clusters of dairy and horticulture. Indirect beneficiaries will comprise farming communities, household members of loan and training recipients, and other value chain stakeholders and broader rural communities who will benefit from better jobs and income generation opportunities in rural areas.
The project will be implemented through 2029.
