Interim evaluation of agrobased industries and technology development project

Interim evaluation covers the period 1/95-10/98. ATDP has significantly helped create public awareness of the potential of agribusiness development in the country, and its performance in terms of six agreed-upon results indicators seems impressive. However, the validity of these indicators is open to debate and should be refined for precision and clarity. Also, the project has suffered from a lack of sector and geographic focus, and project management has been deficient in the areas of staffing, reporting, coordination, and delegation of authority. On the positive side, the overall access by the private sector to credit, technology, and information through the project has been good. ATDP"s efforts in promoting U.S. Government poultry and dairy through Government of Bangladesh (GOB) agencies, NGOs, agribusiness companies, and private entrepreneurs are notable initiatives of institutional collaboration. The contribution of the policy unit to agribusiness development has been positive, although the project"s efforts in policy analysis seem inadequate to a part of the evaluation team. The Ministry of Agriculture, however, feels that the lack of emphasis on analytical research was appropriate. The Agribusiness Credit Fund (ACF) has been a valuable source of short-term financing for certain agribusinesses. However, it has had limited success in creating new agribusinesses, largely because of a focus on financing working capital and trading loans to existing entrepreneurs. Includes recommendations.