US to help farmers increase profits
USAID, 12 local NGOs sign agreement to launch agribusiness project.
ISLAMABAD:
The United States government has announced an initiative that will help 45,000 Pakistani farmers in the fruit, vegetable, dairy, and livestock sectors to increase their profits by imparting them ‘specialised training’ in improving their products and sales, says a press statement.
Farmers will work with US-funded non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to form over 3,000 small farmers’ groups who will receive training to improve their products and sales. Cooperative agreements between US Agency for International Development (USAID) and twelve Pakistani NGOs were signed to initiate USAID’s agribusiness project today in Islamabad.
Pakistan’s fruit, vegetable, dairy, and meat farmers have great potential, but many small agriculture-based businesses lacked the tools to deliver the quality, variety, and quantity of goods that local and international markets demand. Training and modernisation supported by USAID will enable small farmers to deliver higher quality products and increase their profits.
“These programmes will increase incomes and create jobs for farmers, agricultural sector processors, and exporters,” said Alex Thier, assistant to the USAID administrator, at a meeting of NGOs working with the agency on this initiative.
The agribusiness project is one of many initiatives that the US and Pakistan are carrying out together to create jobs and increase incomes.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 13th, 2012.
The United States government has announced an initiative that will help 45,000 Pakistani farmers in the fruit, vegetable, dairy, and livestock sectors to increase their profits by imparting them ‘specialised training’ in improving their products and sales, says a press statement.
Farmers will work with US-funded non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to form over 3,000 small farmers’ groups who will receive training to improve their products and sales. Cooperative agreements between US Agency for International Development (USAID) and twelve Pakistani NGOs were signed to initiate USAID’s agribusiness project today in Islamabad.
Pakistan’s fruit, vegetable, dairy, and meat farmers have great potential, but many small agriculture-based businesses lacked the tools to deliver the quality, variety, and quantity of goods that local and international markets demand. Training and modernisation supported by USAID will enable small farmers to deliver higher quality products and increase their profits.
“These programmes will increase incomes and create jobs for farmers, agricultural sector processors, and exporters,” said Alex Thier, assistant to the USAID administrator, at a meeting of NGOs working with the agency on this initiative.
The agribusiness project is one of many initiatives that the US and Pakistan are carrying out together to create jobs and increase incomes.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 13th, 2012.