GRAIN MARKETING

The GOZ"s National Cereal Office (ONACER) will implement the project with the help of USAID-funded technical assistance. Technical consultants will provide in-service training to ONACER personnel at its central headquarters and in Kikwit. This will help ONACER develop a cadre of trained manpower and thus enable it to substantially improve its management practices in the areas of marketing operations, transportation management, and financial control, as well as grain storage and warehousing techniques. In addition, a market research unit will be established within ONACER to gather and analyze marketing data and formulate programs and plans for future market development and action. Forecasts from this unit will contribute to a Grain Marketing Phase II Project. In the Kwilu sub-region of Bandundu, ONACER will apply and test its operational activities and newly acquired managerial techniques. The pilot results from carrying out grain buying campaigns in the Kwilu area will determine ONACER"s potential influence in promoting grain marketing nationwide. Three 500-ton warehouses along the Kasai River and a 1,000-ton warehouse in Kikwit, along with a garage facility in Kikwit, will be built to support this activity. Kikwit will also house a vehicle maintenance and repair facility for ONACER"s trucks which transport the grain from the producing areas to urban centers. A transportation management specialist will train a cadre in automotive mechanics, tool and spare parts control, procurement, and safety practices. To permit a daily flow of marketing information, a national radio network will link ONACER"s headquarters in Kinshasa with its seven regional offices. The three buying offices in the pilot area of Bandundu will be connected with the regional office of Kikwit. While ONACER will be the direct beneficiary of the project, local farmer and the private merchant sector will benefit from the improved management.