The Project will have strong development impact through: 

i) improvement of consumer access and value through better access to a more diverse selection, quality, affordability of food products, and better consumer prices due to economies of scale; 

ii) development of food distribution sector  as the expansion will help increase the number of suppliers, build additional sales channels, and contribute to improvement in efficiency and operating standards throughout the supply chain; 

iii) import substitution: through improving and increasing its distribution capability, the Group will have an increased ability to distribute its rapidly developing dairy production capacity for the local market.  This would decrease sales of imported, hard currency denominated goods providing a less costly, locally produced alternatives in a country which depends for 80% on imported food items.

The proposed project’s environmental category is “B-Limited” because of its’ limited potential for causing adverse environmental and social (E&S) impacts and/or risks that are generally site-specific, and readily addressed through standard mitigation measures. Key E&S impacts and risks include: i) sponsor and contractor organizational capacity; ii) labor and working conditions for a proposed workforce of 500 staff during operations and potentially more during construction; iii) increased freshwater and diesel fuel consumption, as well as production of solid and liquid wastes, and atmospheric emissions; iv) identification, prevention and management of risks, such as public security, fire safety, flooding or other contingencies affecting workers, visitors and/or local communities; v) management of biodiversity aspects including mitigation and conservation of vulnerable and endemic species of plants and animals; vi) managing stakeholder expectations for jobs and financial support.