Over $1 billion needed to revive Swat agriculture sector

Over $1 billion is needed for the revival of agriculture sector in the war-hit and flood ravaged Swat valley, said agriculture experts on Wednesday. They expressed concerns that the growing political interference had left a huge number of deserved farmers out of the government's snail-paced rehabilitation process.
They reckoned the losses at Rs 22 billion and feared that the local fruit orchard owners and farmers would not be able to continue their businesses for the next five years. Talking to Business Recorder from Peshawar on phone, the valley's agriculture expert and co-ordinator Global Peace Council (GPC) Fazal Maula depicted a grim scenario of the Swat's ruined agriculture sector.
"At least, $1 billion is badly required to rehabilitate one of the country's major fruit, vegetable and honey producing areas," he pointed out. He estimated that about 50,000 acres of agriculture land had destroyed in the devastating floods of last year.
He expressed fears that the local farmers of cereals, vegetables and fruits would not be able to utilise their ravaged lands for the next five years, as the lands had been badly damaged in the operation against militants and the last year's floods.
He said that the badly damaged orchards were of apple, peach, strawberry, and persimmon besides walnut crops. The marketing chain, particularly during the 10-month curfew had remained broken, leaving many other related businessmen financially crumpled, Fazal said.
"Labourers, transporters and seeds and fertiliser dealers suffered largely during the valley's deadliest phase of history," he said. He said that the most destroyed areas from floods were located on either side of Swat River, which were fertile land of the valley, besides fish hatcheries and farms, honeybee farms and water-run grain grinders.
"The specific Swat River side land was generating Rs 0.1 million per acre income per crop," he added. Co-ordinator GPC held the increasing political interference in the rehabilitation process responsible for the farmers' financial sufferings, saying that it could take further five years for them to attain their past economic position. He also alleged the NGOs and Provincial Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority (PRRA) for deliberate provision of substandard seeds and fertilisers to growers.
He said the local farmers were developing the damaged river channels on self-help basis, as the government had so far not paid any attention to one of the major issues. "The $1 billion financial package could only revive the Swat's agriculture sector if invested on sustainable projects and with co-ordinated efforts," the agriculture expert said.