The ministry of food, agriculture and livestock (Minfal) would brief President General Pervez Musharraf about ongoing and new (approved and unapproved) projects on July 19, it is learnt. Sources in the Minfal told Business Recorder on Monday, the ministry would brief the President about the pace of ongoing projects.
"We have completed PC-1 of main projects of the food, agriculture and livestock division, which would be initiated after the approval from the planning commission," official sources added.
Some of the projects are vital to put the agro-economy on fast track of development. The ministry is also keen to initiate these projects as soon as possible, they said. The ministry has submitted eight new projects to concerned authorities totalling Rs 31.41 billion, they said.
They include national agriculture research programme (Rs 27.50 billion); special programme for food security and productivity enhancement of small farmers (Rs 7.821 billion); water conservation and productivity enhancement through high efficiency irrigation system (Rs 15 billion); national programme for control and prevention of avian influenza (Rs 10 billion); national project to stimulate adaptation of permanent bed in maize, wheat and cotton farming system (Rs 445 million); improvement of agriculture livestock marketing system (Rs 2 billion); establishment of facilitation unit for participatory vegetable seed and nursery production programme (Rs 900 million); and commercialisation of tea production through public-private partnership (Rs 500 million).
Sixteen new projects, which were already approved by the ministry totalling Rs 5.89 billion are land and water resources development project for poverty reduction (Rs 3.4 billion); aqua-culture and shrimp farming (Rs 500 million); sanitary and phytosanitary technical barrier to trade (Rs 611 million), reduction in seafood post-harvest losses (Rs 5 million); stock assessment survey programme (Rs 495 million); upgradation of MCRI (Rs 363 million); upgradation and establishment of animal quarantine stations (Rs 336 million); accreditation of quarantine facilities (Rs 22 million); locust surveys (Rs 19 million); and production of medical herbs (Rs 98 million).
The ministry is also executing 41 ongoing projects worth of Rs 93.41 billion while the grand total for ongoing and new (approved and unapproved) projects is Rs 129.72 billion.