HERAT - An agriculture development conference in Herat brought together representatives of the donor community, the Government, agriculture cooperatives and farmers to discuss the challenges of agriculture sector and ensure better coordination and coherence in the implementation of agriculture projects and strengthen partnership among stakeholders.

“The agricultural needs of Herat Province are beyond the allocation of Government budget,” said Faqir Ahmed Bayangar, the Director of Animal Husbandry and Irrigation in Herat. “We came together here to focus on the needs and priorities of Herat in the agriculture sector.”

However, Mr. Bayangar said that any agriculture project should be in accordance with the framework of National Agriculture Strategy and 15-year development plan of Herat Province.

The conference was organized under the auspices of the Directorate of Agriculture in Herat in collaboration with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the NATO’s Western Regional Command and the Italian Cooperation.

The Directorate of Agriculture in Herat has proposed 53 agricultural development projects with the cost of US$ 41 million to the donor community, said Mr. Bayangar, adding, “The donors have assured that a majority of these projects will be funded.”

Mr. Bayangar cited lack of coordination and coherence in the selection and implementation of the projects, deficiency of development funds and land confiscation by power holders as key challenges.

Speaking on the occasion, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, Abdul Ghani Ghoryani told participants of the conference that the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) would be re-established in Herat Province by the end of this year.

He emphasized on the need to keep a balance in distribution of development funds and projects among the districts.

Mr. Ghoryani pointed out that lack of infrastructure, particularly electricity, was the main hindrance in development of industrial park.

However, he said that all the projects should be in line with the National Priority Programme (NPP) of the Government of Afghanistan.

At the end of conference, comments and opinions of the participants, which were gathered through group works, were presented to the concerned authorities for better streamlining of the agriculture development projects in Herat.

By UNAMA Herat