‘EU will continue to support Pakistan’

Europe-Aid Director for Asia and Central Asia vows that EU will continue its support to combat rising food prices.

ISLAMABAD: The Europe-Aid Director for Asia and Central Asia, Dirk Meganck, vowed that the European Union will continue its support to combat rising food prices and ensuring food security in Pakistan.

“Pakistan is a great country, a great nation with a great potential and a large population but it is also a country affected by big problems, big calamities while the greatest calamity has been the recent floods,” Dirk Meganck said.

Addressing a large gathering of small-scale farmer’s belonging to the Farmer Interest Groups at Village Karsal in Chakwal, he said the ones who have suffered the highest in this country are those living in the rural areas amounting 60 to 70 per cent of the population and the people living in these rural areas contribute greatly to the economy.

Earlier, the delegation was warmly welcomed and presented cultural Turbans and gifts by the farmers, said a press release.

Lauding the role of the implementing partners, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Food Program (WFP), Meganck expressed his pleasure to see that the aid of 40 million Euros had been utilised properly and helped rebuild communities to provide a sustainable environment.

“Our purpose is to support and help build your communities especially when they are affected by such calamities,” he stated.

Later, he distributed large quantities of wheat seed, fertiliser and winter vegetable seeds among the small-scale farmers of the village Karsal.

The purpose of these distributions is to ensure that timely Rabi planting takes place in the flood hit areas of the country where the standing crops of over 2.4 million hectares got washed away by the floods.

The Rabi package distribution is a part of the 40 Million Euros Food Facility Project which aims at combating the rising food prices in the country.

As a part of the European Union Food Facility (EUFF) initiative, the beneficiaries including small-scale farmers owning two to four hectares of land and the women who head households are receiving the Rabi Package which includes a 50kg bag of Wheat Seeds, a 50kg bag of Urea, 50kg DAP and vegetable seeds for Tomato, Turnip, Spinach and Peas, to produce adequate grain for their household consumption.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 21^st, 2010.