ISLAMABAD: Agriculture training centres are being set up in four districts of the merged areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to provide training in cultivating alternative crops, which will open new avenues of income generation leading to the end of poppy-related businesses and crimes in the province.

This was announced at a ground-breaking ceremony org­anised on Thursday by the KP Planning and Development Department in collaboration with the US Embassy’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The four training centres will be constructed in Bajaur, Khyber, Mohmand and Torghar districts.

At present there is a tendency among people living in these districts to cultivate poppy crop that causes detrimental socio-economic impact and the product is illicitly traded, especially in tribal areas adjoining Afghanistan, the UNDP said in a press release.

The training centres will promote agriculture cultivation by developing farmers’ skills and creating relationships between farmers and enterprises. Agricultural information on timely land preparation, planting, weeding, irrigation, harvesting, storage and marketing has always been farmers’ central concerns.

These training centres, equipped with modern technologies, would improve the way farmers in these areas receive, exchange and harness information.

INL Director Mark Tervakoski said the project would boost agricultural knowledge and technologies and increase economic opportunities for the people of KP.

Published in Dawn, January 21st, 2022

Opinion

Editorial

The challenge before banks
27 Feb, 2025

The challenge before banks

THE gap is huge, to say the least. And those who own Pakistani banks, and the bankers who work for them, do not seem...
Torkham tension
27 Feb, 2025

Torkham tension

CONTROVERSY over demarcation of the common frontier is one of the key obstacles standing in the way of better...
Weak link
27 Feb, 2025

Weak link

KARACHI — economic powerhouse, cultural melting pot, and bustling metropolis of over 20m souls. There is much that...
Forgotten inmates
Updated 26 Feb, 2025

Forgotten inmates

Diversion programmes are needed for minor offences and people with psychosocial disabilities should receive treatment rather than be jailed.
Controlling crypto
26 Feb, 2025

Controlling crypto

THOUGH Pakistan’s official position on cryptocurrencies has evolved considerably over the years, there still seems...
Deadly roads
26 Feb, 2025

Deadly roads

DRIVING in Karachi can be hazardous, with chaos on the roads, and very little by way of following rules and...