Objective and Purpose of the Assignment
Much of the irrigation infrastructure in Uzbekistan is more than 30 years old and needs significant modernization. Low water user fees and poor recovery rates discourage investments to maintain existing irrigation infrastructure assets as well as new investments in future water development projects. The situation is expected to deteriorate with increasing aridity because of climate change and continued use of conventional irrigation techniques.
Uzbekistan’s infrastructure for logistics and wholesale and retail markets is insufficient and lacks strategic national coordination. The lack of all-weather rural roads hampers access to logistics hubs and implicitly results in price increases for agricultural products. The agricultural value chain is characterized by weak linkages between value chain actors, as well as insufficient and technologically poor logistics and storage facilities with limited processing capacity. Public investments in agricultural research and development, extension services, and agribusiness development have been negligible. Private sector investments have been limited. Farmers have limited access to advanced agricultural technologies, productive seeds, effective fertilizers and pesticides, and appropriate financial resources and insurance products.
The technical assistance (TA) for Enhancing Private Sector Participation in Agriculture will design support measures to increase private sector participation (PSP) in Uzbekistan’s agriculture sector. The TA will support (i) the preparation of a sector diagnostic study to evaluate the potential for PSP in the agriculture sector, with a focus on supporting infrastructure, including irrigation; (ii) capacity- building for selected government agencies, including the development of an awareness tool kit to help identify, appraise, implement, and manage PSP and public–private partnership (PPP) projects; and (iii) the preparation of the concept notes for two to three potential PSP and PPP projects, and other possible government support measures needed to boost PSP in the country’s agriculture sector.
Scope of Work
The team of international and national individual consultants will assist in implementing the TA outputs on (i) assessing and proposing improvements for conditions for enabling PSP/PPP in the agricultural sector (ii) enhancing knowledge of agriculture sector specialists in PSP/PPP, and (iii) identifying potential PSP/PPP projects. The scope of works (deliverables) should include: (i) Assessment of the existing environment, key constraints, and opportunities for PSP/PPP development through diagnostic study. The sector diagnostic study should include: (a) agriculture and water resources sectors study (existing environment, financing, key constraints, opportunities for PSP/PPP development); (b) market sounding to identify the interest and risks perception of the private sector players and banks, and (c) institutional and capacity needs assessment of public institutions in the agriculture sector. The sector diagnostic study should encompass analysis of subprojects financed by local commercial banks from the proceeds of sovereign loans extended by ADB in the framework of Horticulture Value Chain Development Project (Loans 3471-UZB and 3673-UZB), and Livestock Value Chain Development Project (Loan 3823-UZB). It should provide a vision and key areas for private sector development in agriculture. (ii) Based on the findings of the diagnostic study: (a) prepare an awareness toolkit for the identification, appraisal, implementation, and management of PSP and PPP projects; (b) conduct tailor- made sector specific trainings in various aspects of PSP/PPP for at least 60 staff of Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Water Resources, and provincial municipalities. (iii) Prepare the concept notes (prefeasibility study) for 2-3 potential PSP and/or PPP projects with active involvement of concerned government agencies. PSP opportunities to be identified should align with ADB’s private sector investment framework and strategy in the agribusiness space. The concept notes to be developed should follow ADB’s Concept Review Form template to enable preliminary endorsement for further due diligence.
The agrobusiness specialist will collaborate under the leadership of the Agriculture Finance Specialist (Team Leader).
Detailed Tasks and/or Expected Output
The consultant’s key tasks will include:
(i) assess areas in the agriculture value chain which would be attractive for private sector financing; (ii) assess policy, regulatory, and institutional measures for enabling environment for private sector participation in the sector; (iii) in consultation with government and agriculture value chain stakeholders, identify measures to improve business environment favorable for private sector, as part of diagnostic study; (iv) coordinate and contribute to consultations with public stakeholders, and market sounding of private sector and commercial banks to identify the interest and risks perception of the private sector players and banks; (v) contribute to the preparation of PSP/PPP projects identification and appraisal as part of awareness toolkit; (vi) contribute to the capacity building trainings in terms of PSP/PPP in agricultural value chain; (vii) contribute to the preparation of concept notes for 2-3 potential PSP/PPP projects; (viii) contribute, as appropriate, to TA reports; (ix) other tasks as advised by ADB.
Minimum Qualification Requirements
The expert will have at least a bachelor’s degree with specialization in agrobusiness, agriculture economics and finance, and at least 10 years of experience in agrobusiness and agriculture value chain.
Apply by: 02 Sep 2022
