Promotion Assessment for the Agriculture Sector Development Program (ASDP)

Description

The EU has been supporting the establishment and utilisation of different credit lines at the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation (MALR) over the last two decades. The biggest EU contribution in this regard was the Agricultural Sector Development Programme (ASDP) of EUR 100 million which supported the development of small and medium–scale enterprises in the agricultural sector through the establishment of a credit line that facilitated the access to finance for private entrepreneurs. Taking into account the success of ASDP, the EU decided to establish the Financial Investment and Sector Co-operation (FISC) Rural Component Project (EUR 16 million) to provide additional financial and technical assistance to SMEs in the fields of input supply, post-harvest activities and marketing.

See also project:  Financial Investment and Sector Co-operation (FISC) Rural Component Project

The Agricultural Sector Development Program (ASDP), funded by the European Commission, aims to increase income opportunities for rural population through a credit scheme. It is composed of the former Food Sector Development Programme (FSDP) and Multi-Sector Support Programme (MSSP). More than 61,000 beneficiaries in the five key-sectors benefited from the loans that are disbursed throughout Egypt through commercial banks. The total amount disbursed is above 750 million.The use of the funds and the target group outreach, however, remains below expectations.

Services

NSCE was contracted to assess the needs and the types of promotional activities that will increase the accessibility by the target groups of the available credit facilities. The study was structured in two phases. The first one focused on assessing current marketing practices and hurdles encountered by the target population in accessing the funds. The second phase focused in the design of a public awareness and promotion campaign.