ATCs in merged areas: US embassy, UNDP and KP P&D hold groundbreaking ceremony

ISLAMABAD: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the US Embassy’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), and Planning and Development (P&D) Department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa held a groundbreaking ceremony for Agriculture Training Centres (ATCs) in the merged areas at the Serena Hotel, Islamabad.

Funded by the US government, these four training centres will be constructed in districts Bajaur, Khyber, Mohmand, and Tor Ghar. These districts are not only remote but also prone to insurgency, illicit trade, and violent extremism. The districts have also been characterized by widespread poverty, internal conflict, poor infrastructure, and weak institutional governance.

Currently, there is a tendency in these districts to cultivate poppy, a crop that causes detrimental socio-economic impact and is illicitly traded, especially in the tribal areas adjoining Afghanistan.

Establishing training centres in these districts and providing training on cultivation of alternative crops will open new avenues of income generation to the people of these districts, which in the long run, will lead to elimination of poppy related business and other drug-related crime in KP.

At the groundbreaking ceremony, INL Director, Mark Tervakoski said that the project will play a key role in disseminating agricultural knowledge and technologies and increase economic opportunities for people in KP. He stated “These centres will increase farmers and their family’s sources of income and expand employment opportunities, especially for women. Once these training centres are constructed, the KP government can train hundreds of farmers per year on high-value, licit crop production practices for years to come.”

UNDP Resident Representative Knut Ostby mentioned that these centres and modern agriculture technology trainings will strengthen the skills of farmers and give them access to information in technology that will open new avenues for them.

The Director General Sustainable Development Unit (SDU) Sohail Khan thanked UNDP and INL for their continued support and extended full support of the P&D during the construction.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022