ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The US Embassy to Pakistan and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Planning and Development Department have jointly launched a new development project worth US$ 1 million to provide training for farmers, improve irrigation systems, and increase household income in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
This US assistance will fund 200 training courses targeting approximately 4,000 farmers, with a special focus on women farmers.
The program will also fund the construction of irrigation systems to reduce flood risk and improve use of water resources, helping to increase crop yields and improve economic livelihoods.
This new assistance follows the successful completion of development projects worth more than $6 million that benefited over 44,000 families from the Bajaur, Khyber, Mohmand, and Torghar districts since 2019.
The US Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Andrew Schofer, the Director of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) Lori Antolinez, the Additional Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah, the Director General of Planning & Development Department KPK, and the Joint Secretary Economic Affairs Division Islam Zaib attended the signing ceremony in Islamabad.
The Deputy Chief of Mission Andrew Schofer praised the longstanding partnership between the US and KPK governments to curb illegal crop production in the province.
“This investment will provide important skills training for women farmers in the newly merged districts, helping to increase crop yields and promoting economic opportunity in Mohmand, Bajaur, Khyber, and Torghar districts,” he noted.
Since 1988, the US government’s crop control program has invested more than US$ 80 million in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This assistance includes the construction of over 1,200 km of roads, 1300 water supply and irrigation projects, and over 75,500 acres of demonstration plots for high-yield substitute crops, benefitting over 360,000 families.
The poppy cultivation in Pakistan has been reduced by 87% during this period, a powerful indicator of the success of Pak-US longstanding partnership.
