Bangladesh among 23 nations under €1b EU food facility scheme

Bangladesh will be one of 23 developing countries expected to benefit from the first phase of European Commission's (EC) €1-billion food facility programme.
Besides, the EC adopted a €314-million package projects to support agriculture and improve food security situation in 23 developing countries.
“Europe has already made humanitarian responses to prevailing food crisis through emergency aid. The 'Food Facility' is the development response -- €1 billion over three years -- to get agriculture back on its feet," said Louis Michel, the Development and Humanitarian Aid commissioner.
This will be the first financing decision in the €1-billion Food Facility framework adopted at the end of 2008 as a response to food security problems faced by many developing countries.
The Commission's financing decision will also benefit Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Myanmar, Burundi, Central African Republic, DR Congo, Cuba, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Haiti, Honduras, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mozambique, the Philippines, Pakistan, Palestine, Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe.
Addressing the period in-between emergency aid and medium - to long-term development cooperation, the Food Facility will operate for a three-year-period (2009-2011).
Three types of activities will be supported are: a) measures to improve access to agricultural inputs like fertilisers and seeds and services like vets and advisers; b) small-scale measures aiming at increasing agricultural production like micro credit, rural infrastructure, training and support to professional groups in agricultural sector; and c) safety net measures, allowing for social transfers to vulnerable population groups, often in the form of labour-intensive public works (roads, irrigation projects etc).
The Commission has also agreed to an overall plan for the use of the entire facility amount, targeting a total of 50 developing countries.
“Over the months ahead, we must not forget the impact of the financial crisis and economic downturn on developing countries -- this is only now becoming clear and could be much worse than expected. Europe is quite rightly focused on recovery plans for our own economy. That should not in any way diminish our commitment to developing countries - as one of the decisions made today clearly shows," Michel said.
On December 18 last year, the European Parliament and the Council adopted a regulation establishing the €1-billion Food Facility as the main EU response to the worsening global food security situation in 2007/08.