Under the Project, ‘Livelihood and Food Security Improvement Fund for the Flood Affected Areas of Pakistan’ funded by USAID, FAO provided Rabi assistance packages to small farming households. The packages comprised of 50kg bags of certified wheat seed, Urea and DAP for the current wheat sowing season.  The assistance aimed at restoration of crop production and food security. Through provision of Rabi packages, beneficiary households will be able to improve their self-sufficiency in quality seeds for cultivation and enhance their agricultural output.

The Flood Emergency Response Plan Completion Event was held on 1st December 2022 at National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC). US Ambassador to Pakistan Donald Blome was the chief guest while Mr. Zafar Hassan, Secretary Ministry of Food Security and Research represented the government of Pakistan. Dr. Ghulam Mohammad Ali, Chairman Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC), Dr. Shahzad Asad, Director General NARC, senior government officials, donors, and media representatives also participated in the event.

As FAO Pakistan marked the celebration of completion of the Flood Emergency Response Plan, Ms. Florence Rolle (FAO Representative in Pakistan) expressed pleasure at completing the distribution in a record time of two months. This would not have been possible without strong coordination and collaboration between all stakeholders. She thanked USAID and also other donors like EU, ECHO, JICA, and Japan for helping in executing the emergency response plan.

Ambassador Blome assured the commitment of the USA to working with Pakistan through the Green Alliance Framework to strengthen climate resilience, pursue energy transformation and foster economic growth.

Mr. Zafar Hassan thanked FAO and USAID for their support but added that we cannot always look up to donor agencies for help. He emphasized on working on self-reliance and self-sustainability. To this end, he stressed on promoting better techniques of agriculture, producing better seeds, and providing better education for farmers.

Eight beneficiary farmers (2 from each province) were invited to the event. They shared their account of the losses and challenges they faced during and after the floods. They appreciated the timely assistance packages which saved them from borrowing more money for purchase of wheat seeds and fertilizers; this will increase crop production and allow them to put food on their tables for almost a year. Climate smart farming techniques were also demonstrated to these farmers by NARC specialists.