Sunday, July 18, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Farmers of Sindh have expressed disquiet over the national importance project namely “Special Programme for Food Security and Productivity Enhancement of Small Farmers” and blamed that there was no significant progress in the province, sources told Daily Times on Saturday.
The documents available revealed that farmers belonging to Sindh province requested Chairman National Assembly Standing Committee on Food and Agriculture to take notice of negligence carried out in the project in Sindh province. The project (also known as CMP-II) was exclusively for small farmers in six districts of Sindh i.e. Larkana, Khairpur, Naushero Feroze, Sanghar, Shaheed Benazirabad and Mirpurkhas. The project started in 2007, but there has been no progress so far.
Farmers also requested to enquire monthly utilisation report in the provinces, developmental and non-developmental expenditures where, according to the reports misuse of public funds are carried out. Despite appointing agricultural experts, some non-technical persons were appointed in Sindh province, the document revealed.
In the month of June 2010 alone, the high-ups of the project in Sindh withdrew millions of rupees through forgery bills, it maintained.
The project was approved on May 4th 2007 for a period of five years (July 2007 to June 2012) with a total cost of Rs 8.013 billion. The project was being implemented in 1012 villages of 28 districts in all four provinces, AJK, FATA and FANA. The main objectives of the project were; to supplement the country’s ongoing efforts to increase farm
production through productivity enhancement of small farmers, ensure food security and reduce poverty through improving income of small farmers. It is also aimed at building a sustainable mechanism to ensure continuity for the productivity enhancement and food security programme during the post project period.
Specific objectives of the project included organising and empowering small farmers through establishment of self-managed village organisations (Vos), establishing revolving fund at village level for providing easy access to production loans and micro-credit and to channelise small farmers agriculture production system. Other specific objectives of the project were to develop linkages with main marketing chains for facilitating access to markets, building input sale and marketing centers (ISMC) for a cluster of 15-20 villages in the project area for ensuring supply of quality inputs to small farmers at competitive prices and facilitating marketing of farmers’ produce. It is also aimed at increasing agriculture productivity of small farmers by 30 to 35 percent over benchmark level through disseminating improved production technologies and field-tested packages and their capacity building.
The documents available revealed that farmers belonging to Sindh province requested Chairman National Assembly Standing Committee on Food and Agriculture to take notice of negligence carried out in the project in Sindh province. The project (also known as CMP-II) was exclusively for small farmers in six districts of Sindh i.e. Larkana, Khairpur, Naushero Feroze, Sanghar, Shaheed Benazirabad and Mirpurkhas. The project started in 2007, but there has been no progress so far.
Farmers also requested to enquire monthly utilisation report in the provinces, developmental and non-developmental expenditures where, according to the reports misuse of public funds are carried out. Despite appointing agricultural experts, some non-technical persons were appointed in Sindh province, the document revealed.
In the month of June 2010 alone, the high-ups of the project in Sindh withdrew millions of rupees through forgery bills, it maintained.
The project was approved on May 4th 2007 for a period of five years (July 2007 to June 2012) with a total cost of Rs 8.013 billion. The project was being implemented in 1012 villages of 28 districts in all four provinces, AJK, FATA and FANA. The main objectives of the project were; to supplement the country’s ongoing efforts to increase farm
production through productivity enhancement of small farmers, ensure food security and reduce poverty through improving income of small farmers. It is also aimed at building a sustainable mechanism to ensure continuity for the productivity enhancement and food security programme during the post project period.
Specific objectives of the project included organising and empowering small farmers through establishment of self-managed village organisations (Vos), establishing revolving fund at village level for providing easy access to production loans and micro-credit and to channelise small farmers agriculture production system. Other specific objectives of the project were to develop linkages with main marketing chains for facilitating access to markets, building input sale and marketing centers (ISMC) for a cluster of 15-20 villages in the project area for ensuring supply of quality inputs to small farmers at competitive prices and facilitating marketing of farmers’ produce. It is also aimed at increasing agriculture productivity of small farmers by 30 to 35 percent over benchmark level through disseminating improved production technologies and field-tested packages and their capacity building.
-www.dailytimes.com.pk
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