Bangladesh receives help following disasters
Following the devastation caused by horrific floods and cyclones that ripped through Bangladesh in 2007, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and its partners have announced that they will provide more than $190 million in assistance to the country, including replenishing its national herd that has been devastated.
ADB will provide a loan of $120 million and a $200,000 technical assistance grant to the Emergency Disaster Damage Rehabilitation Project, while the Japan Bank for International Cooperation will extend a $60 million loan, the Canadian International Development Agency will offer a grant of $10 million, and the government of Bangladesh will provide $30 million to complete the funding.
The floods and cyclone last year affected some 25 million people and caused $3 billion in losses, severely damaging livelihoods, infrastructure, and other assets through the loss of crops, livestock, property, and housing. Commenting just after the cyclone, the Department of Livestock Services claimed that over one 100,000 cattle had been killed and over 800 cattle farms had been destroyed in the four most severely-affected regions of the country alone and initial estimates suggested that the livestock sector suffered a Tk3000 million ($43 million) loss as a direct result of the severe weather conditions (see www.leatherbiz.com November 30, 2007).
The ADB project will be implemented in five parts, the first of which will provide financing to import essential commodities and inputs, particularly for agriculture, to ensure a quick recovery.
