50,575 small farmers receive fertiliser, seed
USAIDS' Sindh Agriculture Recovery Project will provide $15m.
“It is a privilege for the United States to play a small role in helping flood-affected farm families to get back on their feet,” said US Ambassador’s wife Dr Marilyn Wyatt on Sunday. At least 50,575 small farmers in seven districts of Sindh have received sunflower seed and fertiliser under a project aided by the United States.
In a ceremony held on Sunday, the US announced the completion of the first phase of the Sindh Agriculture Recovery Project, a programme to provide Rs1.3 billion ($15 million) in sunflower seed, fertiliser and farm assistance for small farmers who were affected by the floods.
The assistance, provided by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), offers agriculture inputs for sunflower sowing covering 101,150 acres across Jacobabad, Kambar-Shahdadkot, Shikarpur, Kashmore, Larkana, Dadu and Thatta.
Speaking at the event, Dr Wyatt said that the flood had a devastating impact on small farmers, who not only lost their standing crops but also the opportunity to sow wheat for the Rabi season. This package aims to help farmers get back on their feet through income generated from their land. Sunflowers were chosen because their sowing time stretches further than wheat and it also takes lesser time to harvest them.
She said that this project aimed to provide solutions to farmers who were not able to cultivate wheat this winter. She also announced the start of the second phase.
“We have certified that the 25 farmers here today, and thousands more like them across the province, have successfully planted their seeds and fertilised their fields. The small 2000-rupee cash grants we will hand out today will help farmers ensure that irrigation canals feeding their farms are clear of silt and in good repair,” she said.
Later, the project would provide additional cash grants to help ensure the sunflowers are harvested efficiently, and it would also help link the farmers with commercial buyers who can then process the flowers into sunflower oil.
Dr Wyatt distributed cheques of Rs 2,000 among the farmers of Sujawal in Palipota village. Some 7,000 families benefit from the USAID-funded project, which enables to cultivate 14,000 acres of land that had been flooded.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 8th, 2011.
In a ceremony held on Sunday, the US announced the completion of the first phase of the Sindh Agriculture Recovery Project, a programme to provide Rs1.3 billion ($15 million) in sunflower seed, fertiliser and farm assistance for small farmers who were affected by the floods.
The assistance, provided by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), offers agriculture inputs for sunflower sowing covering 101,150 acres across Jacobabad, Kambar-Shahdadkot, Shikarpur, Kashmore, Larkana, Dadu and Thatta.
Speaking at the event, Dr Wyatt said that the flood had a devastating impact on small farmers, who not only lost their standing crops but also the opportunity to sow wheat for the Rabi season. This package aims to help farmers get back on their feet through income generated from their land. Sunflowers were chosen because their sowing time stretches further than wheat and it also takes lesser time to harvest them.
She said that this project aimed to provide solutions to farmers who were not able to cultivate wheat this winter. She also announced the start of the second phase.
“We have certified that the 25 farmers here today, and thousands more like them across the province, have successfully planted their seeds and fertilised their fields. The small 2000-rupee cash grants we will hand out today will help farmers ensure that irrigation canals feeding their farms are clear of silt and in good repair,” she said.
Later, the project would provide additional cash grants to help ensure the sunflowers are harvested efficiently, and it would also help link the farmers with commercial buyers who can then process the flowers into sunflower oil.
Dr Wyatt distributed cheques of Rs 2,000 among the farmers of Sujawal in Palipota village. Some 7,000 families benefit from the USAID-funded project, which enables to cultivate 14,000 acres of land that had been flooded.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 8th, 2011.