'US committed to improve agricultural development in Balochistan'

QUETTA: The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) hosted a joint event to mark the successful completion of a $32 million, USAID-funded Balochistan Agriculture Project that was implemented by the FAO. The project encompassed agricultural development activities in eight districts of Balochistan and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan.

Speaking at the ceremony in Islamabad, 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 FAO.  We are pleased with the tremendous progress the project made in improving livelihoods of the people in the project areas.”

According to the statement, USAID established 826 community organizations, improving incomes for 16,000 households. The project helped communities and individual farmers increase the 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 also increased the participation of women in income-earning activities, supported improvement in provincial agricultural policies and the legal and regulatory framework for market-led and community-driven investments,” the USAID statement concluded.