Cereals export liberalization in Togo

The main components of the policy reform program were: legalization of cereal exports, restricting the role of TOGOGRAIN, the grain marketing board in grain marketing to that of maintaining a food security stock, and setting up an export licensing system. A.I.D. supported these reforms with a fast-disbursing dollar cash transfer and technical assistance in data collection, analysis, forecasting, and market reconnaissancee, and in devising procedures to monitor and regulate export marketing in the interest of national food security. The GOT made local currencies available to support the reform package. The policy reforms were undertaken in conjunction with a World Bank supported structural adjustment program and were financed by a grant from A.I.D."s African Economic Policy Reform Program. APAP technical assistance to the program design included analysis of the grain supply and demand situation in Togo, elaboration of operating rules for limiting the grain market, preliminary design of the grain export licensing system, drafting the program document, and support for USAID/Lome during negotiations with the GOT. (Author abstract)