960423

$28m IFAD

loan for Pat

Feeder project

in B'chistan

QUETTA: Pakistan has arranged a credit of over 28 million dollars from International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) for the implementation of more than 41 million dollars project in Balochistan.

IFAD quarters indicated here on Saturday that the entire money would be spent on the Pat Feeder area project in Nasirabad Division, greenery of Balochistan.

Official quarters informed PPI here on Tuesday that the project would increase income of provincial peasantry from 30 to 90 percent as a result of increased agricultural and livestock production.

The project yield increase for major crops over present levels amount to more than 45,000 metric tonnes of paddy, 35,000 metric tonnes of cotton, 16,000 metric tonnes of wheat, 15,000 tonnes of meat and 30 million liters of milk.

The project provides for improved irrigation, cropping intensification, increased livestock production, improved health condition, better water delivery system and fresh water supply to more than 15,000 farming families of the area.

It would also ensure active participation of the peasantry in the process of improving quality and quantity of services for better farming, better marketing of farm produce and products and for better returns for the farming community directly or indirectly involved in augmenting irrigation and agriculture.

The project would take less than four years to complete.

Meanwhile, Japan has agreed to provide 77 bulldozers, raising its supply to 326 bulldozers for Balochistan under Grant-in-Aid Programme.

New fleet of bulldozers would cost Rs. 570 million, equivalent of which has been provided by Japan.

This new fleet would contribute to the further improvement and development of another 65,000 hectares farmland in the province.-PPI