Pak-Australia ties: Australian project for Pakistani farmers

[Thunder Bolt]

KARACHI: (APP) University of Canberra’s agricultural experts are in Islamabad to finalize arrangements for delivery of an Australian Government-funded project designed to enhance the irrigation skills of farmers in Balochistan, Sindh and Punjab.

An official of the Australian High Commission said on Monday that the project Enhancing Irrigation Skills of Farmers will aim to increase irrigation productivity in Pakistan by developing farmers’ skills in water and nutrient management.

It will be undertaken by the Australian Centre for International Agriculture Research (ACIAR), University of Canberra, Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) and Social Science Research Institute (SSRI).

The statement pointed out that the Acting Australian High Commissioner, Jurek Juszczyk, said farmers require education to stay aware of fast-moving developments in technology, science and business management which affect agricultural operations.

This project will help increase farmers’ knowledge in these areas and help them adopt practices that are profitable, environmentally sound and contribute to quality of life.

Farmers are critical to creating food security and rural prosperity in Pakistan.

Australia is working closely with the Government of Pakistan, other donor partners and the Pakistan private sector to provide technical training and support for research and development in the agriculture sector’, Juszczyk added.

The project will train more than 3,000 farmers across Balochistan, Sindh and Punjab. Many of these farmers will become trainers to transfer their skills to other rural communities across Pakistan.

ACIAR has been working in Pakistan since 1984 to improve agricultural productivity, build technical capacity and increase the incomes of Pakistani farmers through collaboration between the Australian and Pakistani agricultural sectors.
https://timesofislamabad.com/48261-2/2016/10/03/