USAID, Engro Foundation sign MoU

KARACHI: The USAID and the Engro Foundation signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Monday to generate investment opportunities and provide access to modern information technology to farmers in Punjab.

“The MoU will be managed through USAID’s Punjab Enabling Environment Project,” USAID Agriculture Specialist Asad Ullah Khan said.

USAID’s Punjab Enabling Environment Project is a five-year, $15 million project which aims to improve the business environment in the livestock, dairy, and horticulture sectors of Punjab. The partnership would support 5,000 farmers by encouraging microfinance banks to provide loans which would ensure farmers have access to the necessary tools and services needed for agricultural inputs and transactions. 

The partnership would also work with the information technology sector to help disseminate agricultural advisory services to area farmers. The advisory services would provide information on cropping patterns, weather forecasts, and farming techniques which would help farmers adopt practices to increase yields and productivity.