LAHORE: The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has lauded the Punjab government’s decision to replicate interventions of the Punjab Poverty Alleviation Initiative (PPGI) in the Southern Punjab aimed at increasing the income of target population by enhancing their employment potential and boosting agricultural productivity and production.

The project has reached out to about 271,556 poor households under all interventions. It is highly gender sensitive project and inclusion of poor women ensured by specifying women as either sole beneficiaries of an intervention or by specifying quotas for them.

IFAD Country Director for Pakistan Hubert Boirard made these observations during a meeting of an IFAD delegation comprising Rehana Raza, newly-appointed Regional Director, Asia & Pacific Region, Hubert Boirard, Country Director for Pakistan and Liam, Sr Portfolio Adviser with the Chairman Planning & Development Board Abdullah Khan Sumbal on Friday.

During the meeting, the chair discussed the recent visit of IFAD delegates in Southern Punjab Poverty Alleviation Project (SPPAP) at district Bhakkar and Layyah. He also stated that the project has resounding success with effective results. The SPPAP is a well moving flagship project of P&D Board. He said overall, 75% beneficiaries of this project are poor women.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022