Commissioner Dera Ismail Khan Zafarul Islam Khattak on Tuesday said that USAID’s economic development and rehabilitation projects have played a key role in restoring the flooded agriculture sector. He expressed these views while addressing a ceremony organized by USAID to hand over the Economic Development and rehabilitation projects to Agriculture Extension and District Soil and Water conservation departments of Dera Ismail Khan wherein he was the chief guest.
The commissioner said that USAID and the people of Pakistan were enjoying a strong and exemplary partnership which brought positive changes in the lives of Pakistani citizens. The ceremony was told that the devastating floods of 2022 badly affected 17 percent of the fertile land in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province which included three seed farms out of a total of seven in Dera Ismail Khan, which produces 10 per cent of seed production of the province. These damages caused a serious threat to seed availability and the livelihoods of farmers.
During that period, the USAID’s Economic Development and rehabilitation program utilized all its resources for farmers’ help and restoration of the basic structure of Agriculture. Under which, 488 acres of government seed farms were restored in Dera Ismail Khan besides repairing of 3.3 kilometer long nine water courses which were affected by flood. These measures improved irrigation and land productivity. So far, 33 acres have been cultivated under the program while wheat seed cultivation was underway on the remaining 345 acres.
