Poor Planning and Management Hamper Effectiveness of AID's Program To Increase Fertilizer Use in Bangladesh

Gao ID: ID-81-26 March 31, 1981

The Agency for International Development (AID) has undertaken a project to improve the supply and distribution of fertilizer in Bangladesh. The aim of the project is to help Bangladesh meet its goal of achieving foodgrain self-sufficiency by 1985. GAO reviewed project planning and implementation.

Some progress has been made to improve fertilizer distribution and use, but the project has not achieved its goal of an annual 15-percent increase in fertilizer sales. Fertilizer imports have not been adequately planned and coordinated with domestic fertilizer production and storage capacity. The project's new marketing system has made limited progress in improving farmer access and reducing distribution costs. Construction of storage facilities is significantly behind schedule, and those warehouses which have been built are fewer and smaller than planned. Plans to provide bulk-handling facilities have not been adequately planned. Plans by AID to purchase portable bagging machines for bulk fertilizer imports may duplicate similar efforts planned by another agency. Current fertilizer imports are not sufficient to justify the machines.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

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