Cultivating New Frontiers In Agriculture (CNFA)- Request For Proposal For The Development Of Benue State Soybean Policy

DEADLINE: 4TH OCTOBER, 2021 
CULTIVATING NEW FRONTIERS IN AGRICULTURE (CNFA)  
JOB TITLE: DEVELOPMENT OF BENUE STATE SOYBEAN POLICY LOCATION: NG (PRIMARY)  
CATEGORY: PROCUREMENT JOB DESCRIPTION 

Section 1: Introduction, Technical Background and Scope of Work

(1.1) Introduction: The five-year USAID Feed the Future Nigeria Agribusiness Investment Activity (the Activity), implemented by Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA) with Connexus Corporation and J.E. Austin Associates as subcontractors, aims to strengthen the enabling environment for agribusiness finance and investment. To achieve this goal, the Activity focuses on four interrelated components: (i) improving the enabling environment for agricultural sector growth; (ii) broadening access to finance by mitigating the credit risks of agribusinesses; (iii) promoting and facilitating investment opportunities for agribusinesses to expand and scale up operations; and (iv) sustainably enhancing the performance of agribusiness micro, small and medium size enterprises (MSMEs). In line with the U.S. and Nigerian governments’ commitment to growing the non-oil-based economy, these efforts will increase the depth, breadth, dynamism, and competitiveness of Nigeria’s agribusiness sector. The Activity operates in seven states of Benue, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Kaduna, Niger and Kebbi along soybean, maize, aquaculture, rice, and cowpea value chains.

At the official launch of the Activity in Benue State in 2020 there was a clarion call on the state government to help farmers increase productivity and production efficiency and boost growth. This appeal was reiterated later that year during the Public-Private Dialogue on the Soybean value chain which highlighted a number of constraints faced by smallholder farmers soybean in the state including limited crop management systems due to limited extension support resulting in low yields, and limited or no access to mechanization (due to high costs) resulting in chronic cultivation of small areas, capital constraints (high lending interest rates and/or collateral requirements by commercial banks), poor post-harvest handling due to lack of facilities and appropriate knowledge, and relatively high input costs.

These concerns ultimately triggered the Benue State’s Ministry of Agriculture to request the support of the Activity for the development of a pragmatic soybean value chain policy that will open up more investment opportunities in the value chain  and will enable operators to make environmentally and financially sound agricultural decisions to ensure a sustainable soybean system in the state. The policy will promote the soybean value chain competitiveness that will ensure the state effectively takes advantage of soybean as one of the world’s major and fastest expanding crops and explore the fast growing demand for vegetable oil and animal feed in the country.

The broad objective is to promote a competitive soybean value chain by creating a level playing field for all stakeholders in the value chain aimed at ensuring a conducive business enabling environment and a competitive market for empowering smallholder farmers in a sustainable manner in the state. This will entail the following:

• To transform the soybean value chain into highly competitive and mature market driven by strong price competition, high level market concentration and increase in private sector investment.
• To increase the level of complementarity between the state agricultural policy on the one hand and soybean policy on the other to bring to the limelight the competitive and comparative advantages of the soybean value chain in the state.
• To open up more opportunities in the development of soybean production in the context of the state rather than it being constrained under the broad state agricultural policy.
• To reduce the cost of soybean production inputs that would enhance profitability and consequently increase soyabean production for sustainable food security of the country
• To increase levels of concentration, specialization, vertical integration and economies of scale in the value chain to enable small producers compete with fast expanding and highly efficient trade on soybean.
• To improve the economic viability of soybean in the state by encouraging the smallholder-based production systems to diversify production, generate income, and capture positive rotation effects that improve productivity of other crops being grown.
• To improve the standard of living of small-scale soybean farmers by enabling/empowering them to be self-reliant through supply of high yielding planting materials, providing agronomic support, assisting in adopting advanced agronomic practices, providing market linkages, and sharing experiences of research and development in soybean cultivation.
• To understand the roles, opportunities and constraints faced by women and youth to promote their inclusion in the value chain development.
• To focus on skill development and awareness raising mainly in the context of specific value chain nodes so that women and youth can effectively participate as producers, input suppliers, processors and marketers.

Offerors are responsible for ensuring that their offers are received by CNFA in accordance with the instructions, terms, and conditions described in this RFP. Failure to adhere with instructions described in this RFP may lead to disqualification of an offer from consideration.

CNFA will consider proposals in response to this RFP from eligible Independent Consultants and Firms.

Application Submission
Offer Deadline and Protocol: Offers must be received no later than 5:00PM, WAT on October 4, 2021. Offers must be submitted by email to operations@ag-invest.org

Please reference the RFP number in any response to this RFP. Offers received after the specified time and date will be considered late and will be considered only at the discretion of CNFA. The cover page of this solicitation summarizes the important dates of the solicitation process. Offerors must strictly follow the provided deadlines to be considered for award.

Click here for full details:   Soybean Policy Benue