PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Marie K. Thompson
DATE: August 15, 2002
IFDC
and USAID in Afghanistan
Building a More Fertile Future for the Agriculture Sector
 In
a short span of 4 months, IFDC—with the support of the U.S. Agency
for International Development—has contributed toward the
production of an additional 3.6 million tons of grain by Afghan
farmers; this represents an 80% increase over the harvest of 2001.
With the assistance of its nongovernmental partners like
Solidarites, IMC—International Medical Corps, ACTED—Agence
d’Aide a la Cooperation Technique et au Developpement, FOCUS, and
the Afghan Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, IFDC has indeed
made great strides.
IFDC/USAID
Accomplishments Thus Far
• IFDC coordinated the distribution of 3,100 mt of urea to more than
60,000 needy Afghan farmers in six priority provinces for the
top-dressing of spring-planted wheat.
An improved variety of wheat seed had already been
distributed in these provinces by the International Center for
Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA).
IFDC provided each farmer with a leaflet of information on
the proper use of urea in the top-dressing of spring wheat in the
local languages.
•
IFDC avoided disrupting the local fertilizer market system by
using credit vouchers provided to the farmers with which they
“purchased” a bag of urea from a local dealer.
In this way, IFDC began the development of the agricultural
inputs markets.
•
The NGO partners of IFDC paid the dealers the value of the
fertilizer on submission of the collected vouchers.
The same NGO partners had also distributed vouchers to the
farmers in consultation with the extension department and the local
“shura” or town committee.
•
As a result of using the emergency fertilizer provided by
USAID and distributed by IFDC, the Afghan farmers harvested about
3,250 kg/ha of spring wheat, compared with 1,170 kg/ha in 2001.
•
One month after harvest, the farmers will pay the “shura”
for the fertilizer; the “shura” will use the funds for local
agricultural development projects.
•
With the collaboration of the extension department of the
Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MOAL), field demonstrations
for potatoes, maize, and rice were established during the summer in
seven provinces. IFDC will invite local farmers to witness the
demonstrations as a means of transferring modern agricultural
technology.
•
Beginning in July, IFDC has conducted 3 dealer-training
workshops covering 6 provinces in which 120 participants attended.
The training material was prepared in Dari and Pushtu.
•
Beginning in August, IFDC is working with the MOAL in
conducting a retail price survey for farm produce and inputs in all
32 provinces; IFDC is also preparing an inventory of MOAL assets by
province.
The Way Ahead
In
spite of the recent productivity increase, the recovery of
Afghanistan’s agriculture sector still faces many challenges. This year’s total grain production is still about 800,000
tons less than in 1999, when production was considered average.
Thus, despite the significant progress, cereal production
still does not fully satisfy Afghanistan’s needs.
Considering the significant role of wheat in food security
and the national economy of Afghanistan, IFDC has developed plans to
help increase its food production.
The plan for the fertilizer distribution for fall wheat,
which represents 90% of the country’s wheat crop, is as follows:
•
IFDC will supervise the distribution of 3,900 mt of
diammonium phosphate (DAP) and 7,800 mt of urea to about 156,000
needy Afghan farmers.
•
IFDC will conduct the distribution of fertilizer using credit
vouchers given to the farmers by NGO partners.
Each voucher will entitle the farmer to receive from the
local dealer 25 kg DP, 50 kg of urea, and 50 kg of improved-variety
seed from ICARDA. Field
demonstrations on wheat will be laid out in 15 of the provinces
where the seed and fertilizer will be distributed.
•
Training programs on the proper use of fertilizer will be
conducted until December and cover most of the agriculturally
important provinces.
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