ISLAMABAD: The United States International Development Agency (USAID) has announced to spend about $450 million in next American financial year on various projects from education to health and energy to agriculture beside others in Pakistan.
Mission Director USAID to Pakistan John Groarke said this while talking to APP on Sunday about projects being executed and planned to be executed by the USAID in various parts of the country.
He said that the USAID had executed hundreds of projects focusing five major areas – health, education, agriculture, economic growth and energy besides other areas especially women empowerment programme.
Responding to a question about agriculture dairy potential, the Mission Director said that Pakistan has a huge dairy farming potential to earn billions of dollars by exporting agricultural and dairy products.
Giving examples of agriculture and dairy products, John Groarke said that Pakistan has potential to export a large quantity of mangoes and oranges as these two Pakistani fruits were known worldwide. “Pakistan has capacity to earn billions of dollars by capturing the world market through exporting dairy products and vegetables”, the Mission Director said.
Speaking about the importance of Pakistan for USA, the Mission Director said, “Pakistan is an important country for USA and a stable, secure and democratic Pakistan with a vibrant economy is in the national interest of the United States and Pakistan.”
According to documents made available to APP about projects of USAID, the United States has demonstrated a continued commitment to Pakistan through Kerry Lugar Berman Act. Since 2009 and the US government has disbursed over 4 billion dollars in civilian assistance in partnership with the Government of Pakistan (GOP), civil society and private sector institutions.
The USAID is executing hundreds of projects in various parts of the country and AJK having its offices in Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar and AJK.
To alleviate Pakistan’s energy crisis, USAID helped to increase the energy production, improve the efficient use of energy, and promote reforms to enable the power sector to function more efficiently.
To date, the US government through USAID has spent more than 800 million dollars in energy sector assistance to Pakistan and added 1700MW electricity to national grid. USAID economic growth programme helped to secure a self-sustaining future for Pakistan by increasing income and employment, nurturing competitive enterprises and regional trade, and creating more rewarding business opportunities, especially for women.
The USAID also helped to boost Pakistan’s agricultural productivity by increasing irrigation and introducing improved technologies and water management practices according to the documents of the USAID.
USAID has also financed irrigation of more than 370,000 acres of farmland in Pakistan, which has increased the incomes of more than 800,000 farmers. The goal is to irrigate one million acres by this year, the report said.
The USAID has also addressed community needs and priorities in focus areas and worked with the government partners to deliver 1,413 drinking water systems, improve irrigation for more than 500,000 acres, built 119-km of flood or retaining walls and rehabilitated 318 schools, the report said.
In education sector, USAID has also built or rehabilitated more than 600 schools serving an estimated 86,000 children. In addition, USAID is also constructing 16 state-of-art faculty education buildings throughout Pakistan.
The United States also supported the development of university degree programmes for future teachers, benefiting more than 10,000 teachers and school administrators. USAID is working in partnership with the public and private sectors to improve the quality of healthcare services and expand access to populations without healthcare, with particular attention on reducing maternal and child mortality.
In June 2013, USAID has launched a multi-million dollar integrated Maternal and Child Health Programme in various parts of the country and AJK focusing on interventions proven to improve maternal and child survival, the report concluded.
