PESHAWAR : The Prime Minister’s National Emergency Program, an umbrella plan to develop 11 agriculture related sectors with an estimated cost of Rs44,672. 654 million to achieve self- sufficiency in food, are heading towards success in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Under the Prime Minister’s National Emergency Agriculture Programme (2019-2023), officials in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Agriculture Department told APP on Sunday that work on 11 gigantic development projects including improvement of watercourses worth Rs19,586 million, water conservation in Barani areas costing Rs14,176.967 million and enhancement of commond areas of the Barani areas worth Rs2,739 million have been accelerated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Likewise, work on enhancement of productivity of wheat costing Rs2,195.214 million, sugarcane worth Rs421.210 million, rice costing Rs330.117 million and oil seed worth Rs546.830 million were underway, which on completion would make the province self-sufficient in production of these seasonal crops and reduce its prices at open market.
To increase production of seafood, KP Government has expedited work on devolopment of cold water fisheries worth Rs1,286.910 million to bolster exports of trout fish.
Zubair Ali, Director Planning and Development, KP Fisheries Department told APP that work on ‘development of cold water fisheries’ was sucessfully underway in Malakand and Hazara divisions under the PM Agriculture Programme.
This joint venture project of the Federal and Provincial Governments was launched on 40:60pc cost sharing basis under which 297 trout farms/lakes were being established mostly in Malakand and Hazara divisions due to its suitable climate conditions for trout farming.
To increase milk and meat production in KP, three mega projects Feedlot Fattening Program worth Rs826.573 million, Save the Calf costing Rs1,554.019 million and Poverty Alleviation through Devolopment of Backyard Poultry worth Rs1,009.814 million started in 2019, were expedited to alleviate poverty and bolster income of the farmers.
The positive trickled down effects of these projects have started visible in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where much-needed relief are being provided to the price-hike stricken people, women, persons with disabilities and under-privileged segments of society.
Dr Aftab Ahmad, Project Incharge, PM Poultry Program KP told APP that the province had been given a target of distributing one million poultry birds in four years (2019-2023) among 167,000 poor people and we are heading to achieve the set target ahead of the scheduled time.
He said five hens and one cock were being provided on subsidized rate at Rs1,050 per unit among poorer with priorities to widows, persons with disabilities and calamities affected families.
To fulfill the meat demand of over 210 million population of Pakistan, the Federal Government had launched “Save the Calf” project across the country including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where 1,20,000 male buffalo calves would be fattened by 2023 in the province.
About 30,000 buffalo calves are being fattened per year in KP where Rs 6,500 per calf are being provided to farmers and livestock growers after six month rearing besides 10 KG free milk replacers and life saving vaccines.
Farmers are being encouraged to register calves aged 15 days to one month and rearing them for six months to avail Government’s incentives package.
Livestock growers and farmers of KP including merged tribal districts have showed keen interest in Save the Calf worth Rs1,554 million that includes KP Government share of Rs1,243 million and Rs135 million contribution by the Federal Government.
Feedlot Fattening Project worth Rs826 million is succesfully underway in KP where farmers with at least 15 buffalo and cow calves aged 9-15 months were being registered to get Govt package including free vaccines, fodder choppers and training besides Rs4,000 per animal after successful completion of the three months fattening cycle.
Under the Prime Minister’s Agriculture Transformation Plan, a total of 38 initiatives were launched including seven in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa mainly focusing on digitalization of services, improvement in research and extension services, agricultural transformation and provision of subsidies.
Under the Agriculture Transformation Plan, a seed industry is being established with an estimated cost of Rs1,000 million and procurement was in progress.
Tele-farming and digital services platform project worth Rs2320.483 million has been started and about 100,000 Kisan Cards were issued besides disbursement of Rs475 million. In the first phase, two lakh farmers would be provided Kisan Cards.
The database of farmers are being enhanced for provision of targeted subsidies to farmers on machinery while in the second phase interest free and low markup easy loans would be provided to farmers and agriculture growers.
Work on ICT based improved extension services model and enhancement in agricultural extension services in merged areas worth Rs3,000 million and soil fertility mapping of KP worth Rs603.828 million were launched.
Agriculture Research Institutes, Tanab Peshawar and Mingora Swat costing Rs1,000 million would be converted into Centre of Excellence to bolster agricultural research. An act has been cleared from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on January 5, 2022 and a bill was submitted to KP Assembly to convert these research institutions as centre of excellence.
These research institutions would be run through a Board of Governors with a CEO and existing employees would be either adjusted elsewhere or send to surplus pool besides a market based pay structure and hiring through open competition would be given to professionals.
Likewise, Rs2, 670 million would be spent on genetic improvement of indigenous cattles through cross breeding and funds were released for succesful completion of the scheme.
A new Agriculture University has been constructed in Malakand division while a state-of-the art veterninary and animal sciences university is being constructed in Swat.
The firstever Agriculture and Livestock Policies 2018 and Food Policy 2021 were passed while livestock census were held last year in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
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