FAO distributes 10,000 mt of seed and fertilizer

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is currently distributing some 3,700 mt of wheat seed and 7,000 mt of fertilizer to about half a million people throughout Afghanistan, an FAO representative told IRIN on Tuesday. "The effort is significant in that it gives an opportunity to farmers to access good quality seeds and fertilizers. This will help them in having a better wheat crop," Mona Chaya, FAO Emergency Coordinator in Kabul said. The seeds are being distributed to farming families that were severely stricken by conflict and more than three years of drought, FAO said in a statement. The distribution was carried out by 26 local and international NGOs. All seeds were purchased from local suppliers participating in the FAO Seed Multiplication Programme. FAO contracted several thousand farmers last year to produce high quality wheat seeds suitable for irrigation and rain-fed agriculture. "The distribution will sustain the livelihoods of farmers. It is also an income generating activity. As we have provided good varities of seeds the yield is expected to be better," Chaya explained. While agriculture is the mainstay of the Afghan economy, decades of conflict, four years of severe drought and large scale displacement of the population have devastated farming throughout the country. Kits of seeds and fertilizers were distributed to around 80,000 poor farming families who cannot afford new agricultural inputs. According to the FAO statement, the cultivation of distributed seeds will amount to around 120,000 mt of wheat. The beneficiaries will have to repay the cost of the kits in cash or with produce. The money will be utilised locally for development projects. The project was funded by Germany, Italy, Kuwait, Norway, Switzerland and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with around US $4.5 million. According to FAO, the total requirement for quality seeds in Afghanistan is estimated at around 250,000 mt per season. This year the production has been estimated at 15,000 mt but sustainability is the long-term goal.