Orchards of walnut, pistachio, almond, pomegranate and olive have been established on 13,500 acres waste lands under Sustainable Plain Development Programme (SPDP) in Fata. Similarly, the programme has also installed two windmills and seven solar pumps and Jetropha (bio-diesel plants).
This was told during a high-level meeting held here in Fata Secretariat with Dr Tashfeen Khan Additional Chief Secretary of Fata in chair. The meeting reviewed the main objective of Sustainable Plain Development Programme (SPDP). The meeting was attended by Captain Muneer Azam Secretary AI&C, Dr Aftab Akbar Durrani Secretary Social Sector, Farukh Ser Secretary P&LD, Fareha Pall Additional Secretary P&D, Sajjad Khan Director General Monitoring, Rehmat Jan Programme Director SPDP and Khalid Riaz Director General FDMA.
Director SPDP explained the main objectives of Sustainable Plain Development Programme (SPDP) Fata and said the aim was to establish suitable orchard pockets on waste and rain water land of Fata through Ryland technologies, technique and practices. He said more than 1,142 million hectares in the cultivable waste land but it can not be developed through traditional technologies and techniques like flood irrigation, diesel/electric powered pump or traditional seasonal crops etc. Project Director informed that SPDP is an innovative programme, which is based on integrated approached, land/water use planning, zooming, community farming and corporate agricultural farming.
Director, SPDP informed that the development cost of the project is very small ie 11,000 rupees per acre whereas the income of formers is increased from zero level to Rs 100,000 per acre per year. Regarding the efficiency of solar pumps he said that all solar pumps are being operated successfully n the last four years. He showed pictures of SPDP orchards, solar pumps, windmills and bio diesel plants.
The chairman highly appreciated the programme and said that such result oriented and productive programmes are needed to be promoted and the traditional technologies and techniques which have no impressive results should be discouraged. He directed Secretary AI&C that a mix energy policy shall be designed in which wind corridor for installation of wind mill farms shall be identified; solar energy and other renewable energy resources may be exploited. He took great interest in the pipe/channel irrigation under, which the command area of an irrigation scheme is increased many fold.
Regarding the SPDP irrigation system he directed that irrigation scheme is increased many fold. He directed that the SPDP designed sprinkler may be further improved for the irrigation of crops and development of postures. Dr Tashfeen Khan also took great interest in the project of SPDP ie "River Training through Vegetative Engineering" and directed that such programme should be propagated. He further directed that the orchid establishment programme of SPDP on waste lands may be extended and the command area of the completed dam shall be brought under orchard through SPDP strategy.
Comments
Comments are closed.