The specific objectives of the TA contract are, inter alia but not exclusively:
· to assist the Regional Authorising Officer and the Deputy Regional Authorising Officers to achieve the Programme objectives and expected results as described above and further in detail in the Financing Agreement and Work Plans of the Programme components;
· to provide technical expertise to the Regional Authorising Officer, the Deputy Regional Authorising Officers, the national and regional Programme Management Units and the Banking Institution in the areas of the Programme activities;
· to strengthen the Programme Management Units and the skills of the teams in the Programme delivery, in particular in the area of the EDF procurement, contracting and financial procedures;
· to build up institutional capacities of the national and regional stakeholders in order to achieve sustainability and long-term impact of the Programme results. This includes organisation of workshops and thematic training sessions on selected expertise areas for the farmers, millers and exporters;
· to provide guidance to the Banking Institution in the implementation of the Financial Facility and to monitor its operations in accordance with the Implementation Modalities, other supporting documents and EDF financial management rules.
(1) The Programme implementation is speeded up in such a manner that the expected results of the Programme can be achieved to the maximum and the financial assistance is disbursed;
(2) The management capacities of the (D)RAOs and the implementation, monitoring and reporting systems and skills of the PMUs are strengthened to ensure timely and coordinated delivery of the Programme activities and those of the Work Plans;
(3) The state and non-state actors are supported in setting up a National Strategy in the respective beneficiary countries by submission of a proposal to National Rice Policy, Implementation Strategies and Action Plans. This will involve clarification of the roles of the different stakeholders – the administration, producers, millers and exporters –, a production cost analysis, identification of performing millers and an outline to a long-term national investment plan to increase the productivity in all the sub-sectors;
(4) The state and non-state actors are supported by expertise and, if deemed feasible, by experience from other corresponding countries in improving the water management in both countries, including re-definition of the roles and functioning of the various actors;
(5) Advisory support and training is provided to the stakeholders (producers, millers, exporters, etc) in preparation of applications for financial support (e.g. business plans), in milling operations and maintenance, in improvement of product quality in technical and market oriented aspects by provision of market information, commercial research and conduct of sales promotion campaigns;
(6) The extension services are planned in such a way to reduce to a minimum the Government’s intervention and they rely on private sources and the research activities are geared to the service of the private sector actors;
(7) The integration of the producers, millers and exporters into effective and sustainable associations with market oriented constitutions and strategies is assisted;
(8) The Banking Institution is assisted in the efficient delivery of the Financial Facility by advice, by facilitation of the interaction between the Institution, the beneficiaries, the (D)RAOs, the Delegation of the European Commission and the Regional Steering Committee, by updates to the Implementation Modalities, Credit Manuals and by provision of other supporting guidance and guideline documents.