RUBBER I

closed

The project covers the first phase of development of a 13,500 ha rubber plantation and consists of: (a) the clearing of 16,000 ha and the planting over a period of seven years of 13,500 ha of rubber trees and the maintenance of the planted trees; (b) roads and other infrastructure for the plantation; and (c) technical and managerial assistance to be provided by the Michelin Company for the establishment of the plantation. The project would be located in the South-West of the Ivory Coast close to the new port of San Pedro, which would provide easy access to ocean transportation for the processed rubber. The plantation would lie astride the main coastal road to Tabou, on the Liberianborder. It is an integral part of the Ivory Coast's plan for the development of this region, one of the least developed and sparsely inhabited parts of the Ivory Coast. Laborers for the plantation are expected, however, to come from elsewhere in the Ivory Coast and from Upper Volta and Mali.