The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government has extended the Prime Minister’s Agriculture Emergency Programme (PMAEP) worth Rs 309 billion to merged areas to bring its vast unutilised land under agriculture, livestock, poultry and fisheries cover for the socio-economic development of tribal people. To increase production of various varieties of crops including wheat, sugarcane, rice, maize, potatoes, tomatos and others vegetables besides encourage olive cultivation, the KP Government has taken a principal decision to extend PMAEP to all seven tribal districts to achieve self-sufficiency in food, alleviate poverty and generate employment opportunities for tribesmen. Officials sources in KP Agriculture and Livestock Department told APP on Sunday that three major livestock programs including Feedlot Fattening Project (FFP), Save The Calf (STC) and Poverty Alleviation through Poultry Development (PAPD) were also extended to merged areas after its inclusion in the landmark PMAEP. The official said promotion of agriculture, livestock and fisheries is a cornerstone of PTI Government’s policy and a record Rs 85 billion would be spent on development of these sectors during 2018-2023 against only Rs40 billion spent during 1947-2007. In spite of 43 per cent of the labour force employed in the agriculture sector, he said the past governments have failed to divert financial resources to agriculture, fisheries and livestock sectors as evident of small spending of Rs 40 billion during past 60 years. Under PMAEP, the Government would spend Rs 44 billion on different mega projects including lands levelling, construction of watercourses, free distribution of wheat and maize seeds, converting tubewells on solar energy, strengthening of research and vaccination programme, calves fattening to increase meat production and construction of small dams for storage of rainy waters in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including merged tribal districts by 2023. Similarly, Rs 8.33 billion would be spent on 133 small and mega agriculture, fisheries and livestock projects during current fiscal year in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including merged tribal districts. The official said release of funds for different projects have been started after completion of feasibility studies and its progress and quality was being monitored on ground by experts to ensure transparency in utilization of funds and its durability. KP Government has devised an inclusive plan to strengthen 8,264 agriculture farms in the province including in merged areas. As many as 8264.48 agriculture farms on 52910.41 acres in Pakistan including 1539.83 on 5569.70 acres in the province with 18pc share of KP were developed and efforts would be made to strengthen it under PM’s Agriculture Emergency Program. In the first phase, focus would be made on development of small farms upto 50 acres to facilitate a large number of farmers, ensure easy accessibilities and required less investment. Out of 1254.72 farms of less than one-acre area in the country, 476.33 were found in KP besides 2342.23 farms including 497.08 in KP are of one to 2.5 acres, 1754 farms including 271.16 in KP are of 2.5 to five acres, 1132 including 129.01 in KP of 5 to 7.1 acres and 917.01 including 91.85 in KP are under 7.5 to 12.5 acres. Similarly, 560.75 farms in Pakistan including 49.22 in KP are of 12.5 to 25 acres, 210.91 farms in country including 18.18 in KP are 25 to 50 acres area, 66.87 farms including 5.22 in KP of 50 to 100 acres, 12.61 including 1.03 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from 100 to 150 acres and 13.55 including 0.76 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are above 150 acres areas. Pakistan has vast integrated area with land utilization on over 20.95 million hectares including 0.87 million hectares in KP with overall 4.15 percent share and that 22.06 million hectares are cultivated including 1.62 million hectares in KP and 35.80 uncultivated area including 4.55 million hectare in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa besides 4.55 hectares are under forests including 1.18 million hectares in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. As many as 25,492 tons wheat including 1,155 tons in KP were produced during 2017-18 besides rice 7,422 tons including 104 in KP, sugarcane 811. 02 tons including 5080 in KP and maize 5702 including 866ton in KP during the said period. The water-channels leading to these agriculture farms would be improved and soils will be leveled under range management techniques to bolster per acre production of all edible corps in Merged Areas. Special attention is being paid on development of agriculture, fisheries and livestock sectors in merged areas under accelerated implementation programme (AIP) in line with ten years tribal decade strategy (TDS) where mega projects like PM’s poultry program and calves fattening programmes were already started for socioeconomic development of the tribesmen. The poultry programme is an inclusive initiative of Government primarily targeting downtrodden and poor segments under which one million poultry birds would be distributed among 166,667 poor households by 2023. Model poultry farms would be established in all seven tribal districts besides special seminars and fields days training for education of farmers and poultry growers would be arranged. A modern poultry research centre had been established in Jaba, Mansehra district to conduct research on poultry related diseases and to prepare life saving chickens vaccines. Merged areas especially Orakzai, Kurram, North Waziristan, Tirrah valley of Khyber tribal districts have a huge potential for trout fish farming having great profit prospects due to its better climate conditions and private sector would be encouraged to fully tap this potential and increase fish production. The number of tractors, which were 23,193 in 2016-17, has increased in 2018-19 to 27,334, thrashers from 7,965 to 9,013, tube-wells from 17,201 to 20,856 whereas cultivated area per tractor’s services was recorded from 69.88 to 68.01 hectares besides load per tube-well has been decreased from 94.88 to 89.14 hectares. KP Government would launch special projects for water-conservation and management, increasing meat production and research on adaptability of new varieties including potatoes besides strengthening of vaccination services in merged areas. Under PMAEP, agriculture markets and sasta bazaars were setup to protect farmers from exploitation of middlemen and provide full profits to growers of agriculture produces. Under PMAEP, over 8,000 acres of barren land in tribal districts would be converted into orchards whereas 28,000 acres of barren land would be brought under cultivation. Similarly, over 25,000 acres of land would be utilized for production of corn and wheat seeds whereas 16,000 acres of land will be allocated for cultivation of vegetables for which seeds will be provided to farmers free of cost. The official said climate of merged areas are most suitable for olive cultivation and a comprehensive survey for collection of solid data to determine type of olive varieties to be grown in North Waziristan, South Waziristan, Kurram and Mohmand districts would soon be started. Grafting in wild olives has been started in Lower Dir and Bajaur districts on pilot basis after its were declared model districts for olive farming. Olive cultivation on 6,000 acres land in Mardan, 100 acres at Manki Sharif Nowshera and 10 acres land at Tarnab Peshawar has been completed. He said 84 new olive varieties had been introduced out of which plantation of eight to 10 varieties was underway in the country including KP and research on the adaptability aspect of remaining varieties was being done by different agriculture research institutes. New olive extraction plants and processing mills in Nowshera, Sang Bhattai Mardan, Tarnab Peshawar, Swat, Bajaur, Attock, Chakwal and Loralai Baluchistan equipped with modern equipment with oil extraction capacity of 4000 KG per hour were established. He said Agriculture Research Institute Tarnab (ARI), Peshawar has been declared Center of Excellence for research on olives and Sang Batti in Mardan as Olive Valley.
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