Deadline: 24 May 2019
The Competitive African Rice Initiative East Africa (CARI-EA) has announced its first call for Concept Notes under the Matching Grant Fund (MGF).
Concept Notes are expected from consortia comprising of private sector rice millers/processors/aggregators who are willing to work closely with suppliers of inputs, machinery, financial, Business Development Services (BDS) and extension services, to enable smallholder farmers to build viable and profitable enterprises for serving a target market with rice products according to demand.
CARI-EA is focusing on rice millers/processors/aggregators as the entry-point for its interventions in the value chain around which consortia will jointly develop and implement sub-projects that aim at building sustainable market linkages between smallholder farmers, importers and other rice value chain actors to enable locally produced rice in East Africa to competitively substitute the current over US$ 300 million worth of rice imports into the East Africa Common Market.
CARI-EA project aims to enhance rice processing, marketing, trade and production systems that will enable the sustainable increase in incomes for additional 220,000 smallholder rice farmers in East Africa. The project will work with large rice traders in Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya to link them to rice SMEs processors – the recipients of the matching grants – to integrate them into the supply chains of these companies.
Purpose of the Grant
The Matching Grant Fund will be used to leverage private sector investments for implementing activities that accelerate the development of the rice industry in the 3 project countries (Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania). The overall aim of the Matching Grant Fund is to serve as a vehicle for achieving the vision and objectives of the CARI-EA project. Projects approved under the fund shall result in sustainably increasing income for rice farmers through:
- Increased productivity, commercialization, profitability and resilience for enterprises of smallholder producers of rice.
- Strengthened and expanded access and competitiveness in the national and regional markets for the locally produced rice.
- Strengthened local, national and regional enabling policy and institutional environment for optimal commercialization of the rice sector.
Grant Information
- The maximum grant amount per project shall be fixed at USD 95,000. The minimum amount of the grant shall be USD 45,000.
- The grants provided shall be matched as follows:
- USD 1 from Matching Grant fund to USD 1.5 private funding for all projects for private partners applying for the funds, provided grant amount requested is not more than USD 95,000.
- The contribution of the private partners will be required to be in form of cash or in-kind or both.
- Submitted proposals should target a minimum outreach to 10,000 farmers when requesting for the maximum grant allocation.
Eligibility Criteria
The grant will co-fund, together with private sector, activities undertaken by Private Sector Organizations (PSOs) – organized agribusinesses i.e. processors, millers, traders, off-takers, farmer business organizations, seed and input companies, technology service providers etc. that are legally recognized and empowered to enter into binding agreements.
How to Apply
Applicants must download the Application form (technical and financial) via given website.
For more information, please visit this link.