Islamabad, 5 October 2021 (TDI): The Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa received products used for locust control from the Government of Japan, which includes 20,000 liters of insect spray, 170 battery-operated sprays pumps, 77 units of motorcycles for mobilization of staff of the Agriculture Extension Department.
Japan gave over these items in a joint effort with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, in an event arranged in Islamabad. The name of the project is “Project for the Restoration of Livelihoods in the Merged Districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa”. Japan’s contribution will reinforce KPK’s functional capacities with respect to desert locust control operations.
On the occasion of handing over locust control items Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan MATSUDA Kuninori, Minister for Agriculture Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mohibullah Khan, Chief Representative of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Pakistan Office FURUTA Shigeki, FAO Representative in Pakistan Florence Marie Rolle and Secretary Agriculture GoKP Muhammad Israr Khan along with other officials were present.
The Japanese Ambassador expressed Japan’s support for Pakistan in the locust crisis while talking about the Japanese provision of 60,000 litters of insecticide and other items to Pakistani farmers. He further said that the present contribution is an addition to that project. He ended his speech with the hope of prosperity for Pakistani farmers.
FAO Representative Florence Marie Rolle assured that the cooperation between FAO and Japan Embassy and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will fortify the provision of better administration in rebuilding and securing the livelihood of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Newly Merged Districts (NMDs) and other parts of the country in this difficult situations.
FURUTA Shigeki hoped that the JICA support would be important for Agriculture Extension Department in the future to stop the locust crisis. Minister for Agriculture KPK Mohibullah Khan thanked the Government of Japan and JICA for their extended support through the FAO.
