HYDERABAD: Sindh Minister for Livestock and Fisheries Abdul Bari Pitafi has said that promotion of small-scale trade activities can help end poverty, particularly in rural areas, because many social issues are directly linked with joblessness and state of economy.

He was speaking at a one-day workshop on ‘Success: experience sharing and learning’ organised by Thardeep Rural Development Programme (TRDP), a non-governmental organisation, at a local hotel here on Saturday.

He emphasised the need for ensuring safety for investors and said that it was government’s responsibility to provide them an enabling environment but NGOs too could play an important role in this regard.

He said that government was taking all possible measures to ensure training of farmers in the least developed areas. Livestock expo organised by Sindh livestock department in Hyderabad had greatly promoted it as a livestock centre in the country, he said.

He said that Sindh was blessed with more breeds of cattle than there were in any other part of the country. Farmers’ capacity building needed to be enhanced so that they could become self sufficient in this sector, he said, adding that an elaborate vaccination programme had been planned.

The minister underscored the need for empowerment of women and said that women outdid men in rural areas as far as their contribution to livestock and farm sector was concerned.

He said that Sindh government extended community-driven development approach of TRDP to all districts of Sindh and reaffirmed government’s commitment to ‘Success’.

He said 60 per cent of households were dependent on livestock and agriculture and the government would increase livestock vaccination from 7pc to 80pc within two years.

He said that livestock department would share its schedule later. There was great potential for livestock growth in the province and so investment should be encouraged in the sector, he said.

A member of Balochistan Assembly Ahmed Nawaz said that activism of rural women working for development of their area was incredible and they would try to replicate the best practices.

Another Balochistan MPA Ms Mahjabeen said that women should not have fear as they were aware of their rights; Benazir Bhutto was a big example. Women needed basic facilities and skill development programmes initiated by TRDP which were key to increasing income at household level, she said. “We have learned best practices here and we as parliamentarians will replicate them in Balochistan,” she said.

Sindh Assembly member Fayaz Butt said that rural areas should have all the facilities that were available in urban areas. Involving local and district governments in development projects was key to welfare of the poor, he said.

TRDP head Allah Nawaz Samoo said that his organisation was contributing to service delivery of government departments and working for rural development in arid zones where other organisations avoided working.

Women community leaders from Tharparkar, Dadu, Matiari and Jamshoro shared their experiences with audience and said that with little support and guidance women could help their families and communities graduate out of poverty trap. The workshop was aimed at sharing learning and enhancing synergies among stakeholders working for poverty reduction including government.

Programme managers from Jamshoro, Dadu, Tando Mohammad Khan, Tando Allahyar, Matiari, Sujawal, Larkana and Shikarpur said that women in organised communities felt empowered and had started undertaking self-help initiatives with a focus on increasing school enrolment, promotion of hygiene, personal care and planning for removal of obstacles to the path of progress.

The programme funded by European Union was being implemented in eight districts of Sindh by TRDP, National Rural Support Programme, Sindh Rural Support Organisation and Rural Support Programmes Network.

Published in Dawn, March 15th, 2020