MANSEHRA: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Rural Economic Transformation Project, in collaboration with the International Fund for Agricultural Development, has launched a microfinancing scheme for farmers to enhance agricultural yields in the district.
“This project has evolved a comprehensive strategy for farmers to develop agribusiness, Public-Private-Producers Partnership development and farmer-owned agribusiness hub initiatives,” Mohammad Ishfaq Khan, the director of KP-RETP, told farmers here on Monday.
The farmers from various parts of the district turned up at the event and interacted with representatives of KP-RETP and IFAD, saying the constitution of societies with 400 members each would play a pivotal role in increasing agricultural yields and thus improving their livelihoods.
The director of KP-RETP said that funds had been allocated to the societies to ensure financing for professional farmers, which could enhance their livelihoods and enable them to utilise modern ploughing and harvesting machines to bring barren lands under agricultural cultivation.
“The KP-RETP aims at evaluating post-funding outcomes, assessing beneficiary progress and measuring the overall effectiveness and sustainability of supported interventions, with a focus on capturing tangible impacts on livelihoods and income generation,” Ishfaq Khan said.
He also directed office-bearers of the registered farmers’ societies to bring more and more peasants into their network so that they could benefit from the provincial government project and improve their livelihoods. “I have also heard your issues and problems and would ensure their early redressal, as farmers are the backbone of the province’s economy,” Ishfaq Khan said.
The director said that the government wanted to address the core issues of farmers, particularly those settled in rural parts of the province.“If you utilise your potential to enhance agricultural yields, it would equally be beneficial for you and the country,” he said.Representatives of KP-RETP and IFAD, including Fida Mohammad, Fayyaz Ahmad and Abdul Hakeem Khan, also addressed the farmers.
