ISLAMABAD: The government of Japan on Tuesday announced funding the Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations to implement two projects worth $2.7 million and $5 million respectively for the enhancement of Foot & Mouth Disease (FMD) control and the second phase of restoration of the livelihoods in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
Notes to this effect were signed and exchanged on Tuesday between Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan Takashi Kurai and FAO Representative in Pakistan Mina Dowlatchahi in the presence of National Food & Security Research Federal Minister Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan.
A grant agreement on the details of implementation of the project was signed and exchanged between Japan International Cooperation Agency Chief Representative Yasuhiro Tojo and Mina Dowlatchahi at the same ceremony.
FMD is a highly contagious disease of cloven footed animals that threatens food security and the livelihoods of smallholders and prevents livestock sector from achieving its economic potential. Milk production may drop 50 to 70 percent and mortality of young calves reaches 10 to 22 percent.
If these losses are interpolated into livestock population, it results into hundreds of million dollars per annum. The project will significantly improve the FMD outbreaks surveillance and rapid response mechanism for disease control and reduce the incidence of FMD outbreaks in the country. This will help curtail the losses caused by the disease and improve productivity of livestock contributing to food security and improve resilience of livelihood of livestock farmers to animal disease threats.
FATA has been severely affected by unrest and military operations over the last decade. In 2015, Japan also funded $5 million for the first phase of the project, and FAO successfully supported approximately 77,000 households to resume agricultural production that helped improve food security and livelihoods. In the second phase of the same project, the Japanese government through FAO will provide support to about 32,000 households in the two targeted agencies of FATA, Kurram and Khyber.
The project will help reduce poverty and promote economic opportunities in the region through agriculture development which will support stabilisation and economic growth in the area. This project is in line with the FATA Sustainable Return & Rehabilitation Strategy, launched by FATA Secretariat and implemented in collaboration with UN agencies and donor countries including Japan.
Speaking on the occasion, Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan said the government of Pakistan considers agriculture as a key area of focus to ensure food security for all segments of the society. A growing agriculture sector not only plays a vital role in boosting national economy but also reducing poverty and improving access to food. For improving nutrition diversification of agriculture by enhanced focus on high value horticulture, livestock and fisheries is the main thrust of new Agriculture & Food Security Policy.
“The agriculture sector is a vital component of Pakistan’s economy and its steady growth is a prerequisite for the overall development of the country. So I believe that these two projects will not only contribute to the improvement of production of agricultural goods but also in the socioeconomic development of Pakistan,” Takashi Kurai said.
Yasuhiro Tojo said that the project would make a significant contribution toward stabilisation of the area and essentially focus on agribusiness and value chain development to boost commercial agriculture in FATA.
Furthermore, the project will be expected to facilitate women participation in various interventions, particularly in homestead poultry, kitchen gardening and food and grain storage/preservation.
Thanking the government of Japan for its financial assistance, Dowlatchahi said, “These projects will cover important areas of interventions for the FATA Transition Plan. These interventions will contribute to the development of the agricultural sector in FATA region by improving food security, boosting economic activities and markets and as a result help achieve peace and security in the area. The FMD project emphasises the importance of animal health as part of the One Health agenda, which is crucial for addressing food insecurity, improving nutrition and rural livelihoods that are dependent on livestock.”
Published in Daily Times, February 28th 2018.
