U.S. and KP Governments Help Farmers Adopt Higher Value Crops

Dr. Jassim Taqui DG Al-Bab Institute for Strategic Studies

Islamabad, 9 December, The U.S. Embassy to Pakistan and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Planning and Development Department jointly launched a new development project worth $1 million to provide training for farmers, improve irrigation systems, and increase household income in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

This U.S. assistance will fund 200 training courses targeting approximately 4,000 farmers, with a special focus on women farmers.  The program will also fund the construction of irrigation systems to reduce flood risk and improve the use of water resources, helping to increase crop yields and improve economic livelihoods.  This new assistance follows the successful completion of development projects worth more than $6 million that benefited over 44,000 families from the Bajaur, Khyber, Mohmand, and Torghar districts since 2019.

U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Andrew Schofer, Director of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) Lori Antolinez, Additional Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah, Director General of Planning & Development Department KP, and Joint Secretary Economic Affairs Division Mr. Islam Zaib attended the signing ceremony in Islamabad.

Deputy Chief of Mission Andrew Schofer praised the longstanding partnership between the U.S. and KP governments to curb illegal crop production in the province. “This investment will provide important skills training for women farmers in the newly merged districts, helping to increase crop yields and promoting economic opportunity in Mohmand, Bajaur, Khyber, and Torghar districts,” he noted.

Since 1988, the U.S. government’s crop control program has invested more than $80 million in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.  This assistance includes the construction of over 1200 km of roads, 1300 water supply, and irrigation projects, and over 75,500 acres of demonstration plots for high-yield substitute crops, benefitting over 360,000 families.  Poppy cultivation in Pakistan has been reduced by 87% during this period, a powerful indicator of the success of our longstanding partnership.

As we celebrate 75 years of bilateral relations between Pakistan and the United States, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs is marking the 40th anniversary of its partnership in Pakistan to advance justice, security, and prosperity.  Over the past four decades, the U.S. government has invested more than 1 billion dollars to improve citizen security and enhance law enforcement capacity across Pakistan.  The United States works in more than 90 countries to help combat crime and corruption, counter the narcotics trade, improve police institutions, and promote court systems that are fair and accountable.  To find out more, visit: http://www.state.gov/j/inl