The government of Pakistan has seriously taken up zero hunger programme as well as Sustainable Development Goals, said Minister for National Food Security and Research, Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan on Tuesday. "In order to achieve objectives of zero hunger programme we have to work hard", he said while addressing the closing ceremony of Balochistan Agriculture Development Project.
Balochistan Agriculture Project was initiated in 2009 with the help of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) with the financial assistance of Australian government. The minister said that appropriate resources would be made available for agriculture sector development which is a key for the economic progress and prosperity of the people of Balochistan. He said the FAO has developed a comprehensive Sheep to Shawal Wool Value Chain Programme but unfortunately we are moving slowly in this regard.
He requested the FAO to organise a donor conference to help small communities in Balochistan. "The government would train 1,000 more farmers in latest agriculture techniques from Balochistan to explore the rich agriculture potential as well as development of the sector in the province", he added. The minister said that the Balochistan agriculture project would have far reaching impact as it became model to be replicated not only by other district of Balochistan but also in other areas of the country.
"We need greater support of USAID, government of Australia and FAO and other donors to ensure continuity and sustainability as well as to capture some of the opportunities identified by the Balochistan agriculture project", he said. The government, he said, was attaching high priorities to the development of agriculture and livestock sector of the province which was contributing about 1.3 percent in provincial gross domestic production.
USAID Pakistan Mission Director John Groarke said, "USAID is very proud of the successful partnership we had in Balochistan with the government, with the local people and with the FAO. We are pleased with the tremendous progress the project made in improving livelihoods of the people in the project areas." He said that women farmers had actively participated in these projects and they were economically empowered, adding the US was assisting the agriculture sector of Pakistan from last 50 years and made many success stories.
FAO Country Representative, Patrick T. Evan said that the project had received encouraging response and women economic empowerment was the other achievement. He said that kitchen gardening, hen farming, handicraft and livestock farming had enhanced the income of women of the province and they were significantly contributing in economic uplift of their families. While speaking Secretary Agriculture Balochistan, Abdul Rahman Buzdar said that the agriculture sector of the province was facing several challenges. Balochistan Agriculture Project (BAP) has trained the farmers on crop and water management to enhance their productivity besides providing marketing access to sell their produces on reasonable rates and eliminate the role of middle men.
Through this project, USAID established 826 community organisations, improved incomes for 16,000 households. The project helped communities and individual farmers in increasing production, sale, and revenues from crops and livestock. The farmers learned about new approaches for farming, better breeds of livestock, better seeds, and more efficient water management techniques. The project helped establish and train community organisations, farmers' marketing collectives and mutual marketing organisations in grading, packaging, and helped them find better paying markets.