The United States is working with Engro Foundation to help over 15,000 dairy farmers in Sindh, who were affected by the summer flooding of 2010, to restore dairy productivity of farm animals to pre-flood levels. The US Agency for International Development (USAID) will provide nearly $1 million (Rs 78 million) in micro-grants to farmers, reaching out to over 100,000 dairy animals over the next six months.
Titled 'Khushaal Livestock', the project is in partnership with Engro Foundation and is being implemented by Engro Foods. The flood-relief assistance is part of a long term, enduring partnership between the United States and Pakistan in the economic sector. "Through the initiative we are launching today, we will help to ensure that the economic vitality of this area is restored," Ms Agnes Luz, chief of Party of the USAID Entrepreneurs Project, said at a launch ceremony here. "The dairy sector is a key driver of economic growth in the region."
The initiative will provide health and nutritional supplements such as mineral mixtures, multi-cut grass seeds, and oat seeds, as well as fertilisers and vaccinations for foot and mouth disease, to help restore the health and productivity of flood affected livestock.-PR