Report on final evaluation of the CLUSA/USAID technical assistance to the NDDB"s oilseed grower"s cooperative project (OPG no. AID-386-2144)

Special final evaluation covers the period 8/79-10/84 and is based on interviews with the staff of the OGCP, NDDB, and the Cooperative Oilseed Growers" Federation (COGF). Implementation was slower than planned, due to such factors as problems in establishing OGCP state federations and uncertainty about future support, the latter due partly to misunderstandings about project agreements and partly to an audit report which NDDB considered unusually hostile; organizational expansion and infrastructure investments were minimized until these issues could be resolved. Another major implementation problem was difficulty in obtaining Government of India (GOI) clearances for technical and consultative personnel. The OPG, originally due to expire in 8/82, was amended 7 times over a 6-year period so that training of key NDDB/COGF personnel could be completed. Given the above situation, the training program was not as strong as it could have been. Nonetheless, a study tour and/or inservice training have been provided to key officials. Project operations research consultants were not put to the best uses, primarily because they arrived before counterpart personnel were prepared to benefit. However, the consultants did identify issues that had to be resolved (e.g., plant size, technology, and siting) with respect to new projects in groundnut/virgin oil and margarine/butter production. Ongoing operations research is not proceeding as planned, although a number of studies have been commissioned. Consultancies in financial planning and management did not take place due to lack of GOI clearances, and consultancies on specialized products never materialized because of nonavailability of consultants. See abstract of the accompanying PES (PD-AAR-455) for major recommendations and lessons learned.