Staff Reporter
Islamabad
Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNFS&R) is ensuring maximum financing for anti-locusts operation and World Bank would also provide USD 200 million and ADB USD 150 million in this regard.
The financing from WB and ADB will be considered under Locusts Emergency and Food Security Project (LEAFS), said a press release issued by the ministry here on Sunday.
The concept note has been approved by Economic Affairs Division (EAD) and PC I has also been prepared that will be submitted in upcoming meeting of CDWP.
The LEAFS is the first federal agricultural project financed by the World Bank in Pakistan.
This is a direct response to the consensus that MNFS&R’s policy function and coordination role across provinces should be significantly strengthened, it added.
It said that MNFS&R is responsible for overall project implementation with the support of provincial governments, DPP, NLCC, FAO and NDMA.
The project cost envelope is US$200 million USD. Locust Emergency and Food Security Project will span out its activities in 18 districts or locations (9 in Balochistan, 4 in Punjab, 4 in Sindh and 1 in KPK).
The specific project objectives will be embarked on control of the locust outbreak, mitigate negative social and economic impact associated with locust attack and strengthen the national food security system.
The MNFS&R will take overall coordination role of the project implementation through establishing a Federal Project Steering Committee (FPSC), responsible for approval of annual work plans, monitor or review of financial reporting, third party validation if needed, midcourse corrections in the project and re-allocation of funds.
Emergency and Food Security project will comprise of 4 main components, including surveillance and control measures to limit the growth and spread of current desert locust populations, while mitigating the risks on human health and environment.
The second component is livelihood protection and rehabilitation to provide a robust protection scheme that ensures immediate relief to affected farmers and livestock owners.
The third is early warning preparedness and food security to strengthen national capacity for early warning and early response, linking these efforts to regional (outside of Pakistan) and provincial (domestic) existing locust surveillance and control networks .
The fourth component is project management, and monitoring and evaluation to support the Project Management Unit’s (PMU) capacity to ensure high quality project implementation .
The primary beneficiaries of the project will be farmers and agricultural labourers of Pakistan who live in areas prone to desert locust infestation.
For these groups, the proposed project will prevent locust infestations from damaging their livelihoods and provide compensatory income support opportunities for the affected farmers and agricultural laborers.
