Tilda Uganda Limited

completed

REVISED SUMMARY OF PROJECT INFORMATION (SPI)Project name UGANDA-Tilda Uganda LimitedRegion Sub-Saharan AfricaSector AgricultureProject No 008136Projected Board Date January 20, 1998 Company Name Tilda Uganda LimitedTechnical Partner and/or Major Shareholders: The Company is privately held by the Thakrar family, Ugandan Asians who left in the 1972 exodus precipitated by President Amin’s expulsion order. The family have developed businesses in the rice industry based in the United Kingdom and in India, and have recently acquired the land and existing facilities.Project Cost including proposed IFC investment Project Cost: US$6.4 million equivalent IFC Investment: up to US$2.0 million (loan) Location of project and Description of site: The project is situated about 90km northeast of Jinja near the Kenya border (between Jinja and Tororo). The Kibimba estate incorporates an irrigation system. The key structures include a mill, storage areas workshops, housing and a school.Description of Company and Purpose of Project: The project involves the privatisation, rehabilitation and development of the Kibimba Rice Scheme, established in 1973. About 550 ha were developed for cultivation of rice paddies, but the scheme languished because of lack of investment, poor management and weak technical expertise. The sponsors bought the assets from the Government of Uganda in March 1997. IFC has been approached to finance part of the rehabilitation and development cost.Environmental Category and Issues: This is an environmental review category B project. The key environmental and occupational health and safety isssues associated with this project include pesticide use and handling, irrigation water supply and distribution, sustainability of water supply and impacts on other users, integrated pest management, outgrower training, provision of personal protective equipment, water-borne diseases and worker health and safety. The sponsor completed an independent environmental audit of the Kibimba Estate. This audit addressed the key issue listed above. Mitigation measures recommended include improvement of irrigation operations, provision of safety training, infrastructure improvements (e.g., water supply, sewage disposal, schools, housing), chemical handling and storage, and upgrading of medical services. The company is developing and monitoring program to oversee implementation of these improvements. The ERS on the project is available from the PIC.Date SPI sent to PIC: July 1, 1997Revised: September 5, 1997Revised: November 20, 1997For Additional Information contact: Corporate Relations Unit -telephone: (202) 473-7711facsimile : 202) 974-4384L:\CAFD1\UGANDA\TILDA\TILDARVD.DOCNovember 20, 1997 2:08 PMEnvironmental documents for this project are available at http://www.ifc.org and from the World Bank InfoShop (http://www.worldbank.org/html/pic/aboutinfo.html).