PESHAWAR: USAID’s Economic Recovery and Development Activity (USAID-ERDA) takes a crucial step for strengthening and modernising fruits plants nurseries enterprises in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and its Newly Merged Districts (KP-NMDs) by signing 35 grant agreements in Peshawar.
Diverse agro-climatic conditions in KP-NMDs offer potential for a variety of fruits; however, the fruit industry in KP and its NMDs faces obstacles due to non-availability of true-to-type and disease-free planting material.
USAID-ERDA is extending in-kind support to 35 fruit plant nurseries in districts Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber, Dir, Orakzai, South Waziristan, North Waziristan, Malakand, Dera Ismail Khan, and Kurram.
Shad Muhammad, Chief of Party for USAID-ERDA, highlighted the goal of the activity: “To strengthen and expand existing fruit plant nurseries enterprises, ensuring easy access for local farmers to high-quality fruit saplings.
By providing in-kind support such as planting materials, lathhouse/ greenhouse establishment, and toolkits, we aim to empower the local agribusiness community and ensure easy access to the farming community to certified and disease-free planting material.”
Jan Muhammad, Director General Agriculture Extension Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, emphasised the need for fruit plant nurseries, stating, “The establishment and strengthening of fruit plant nurseries are imperative for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s agriculture. This initiative not only addresses the current scarcity of planting material but also holds the potential to significantly boost the agricultural sector by providing local farmers with high-quality, disease-free saplings.”
Beneficiaries, like Gul Shahid Afridi and Muhammad Qayum Dir Lower, emphasised the positive impact on local communities. Afridi stated, “This support will enhance our nursery’s capacity and contribute to disease-free planting material, fostering growth of the fruit industry.”
The project will also provide capacity building, and handholding for nursery establishment and management, and will facilitate in establishing forward and backward linkages for selected grantees.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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