DUSHANBE, January 22, 2010, Asia-Plus — On Thursday January 21, 2010, Deputy Chief of Mission Necia Quast, Deputy Prime Minister Muradali Alimardon, Deputy Minister of Agriculture Sijovuddin Isroilov, and Regional Director of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in Central Asia Andrew Sisson officially opened a new USAID Productive Agriculture project for Tajikistan, according to the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe.
“One in two people in Tajikistan depend on agriculture for their livelihood. But because most farmers can”t get adequate inputs, resources, technology and markets, their yields are low and they earn low incomes.
This USAID project will support farmers so they can increase agricultural yields and productivity and strengthen links to end markets. This will make farmers more competitive in regional and global markets and, ultimately, they will earn more money,” said Ambassador Gross during the opening ceremony in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
Over the next five years, this $9.7 million project will work to expand the production of crops in rural communities in Sughd, western Khatlon and districts surrounding Dushanbe. The project has identified five crops for potential expansion: apricots, lemons, onions, tomatoes and melons. Farmers also will receive support to expand livestock production.
In cooperation with local community and financial institutions, the USAID project will provide farmers with training, seeds, fertilizers and other farming necessities, and help farmers get financing and other support they need to reach the project’s goal: increase farmers’ incomes by 25 percent.
ACDI/VOCA, Mennonite Economic Development Association (MEDA), International Center for Soil Fertility and Agricultural Development (IFDC) and E-NOETEC Consulting will implement the project.
The Productive Agriculture Project is one of the many assistance projects USAID implements in Tajikistan on behalf of the American people. Since 1993, the American people have provided more than $300 million in assistance programs that support the economic growth, democratic institutions, health care, and education systems of Tajikistan.
