Sindh women farmers support programme on launchpad

KARACHI: Sindh government is introducing Benazir Women Agricultural Workers Programme (BWAWP) with the initial investment of Rs500 million for legal recognition and registration of female farmers on top of supporting them to become food-secure and self-sufficient, The News learnt on Friday.

Structured on the lines of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), the BWAWP is envisaged to empower women in the marginalised agrarian communities in Sindh.

A spokesman of the agriculture department said to set the ground for launching this much-needed initiative, a high-level meeting was held under the chair of Sindh Agriculture Minister Muhammad Ismail Rahoo, with Secretary Agriculture Agha Zaheer-ul-Din and other officers in attendance.

During the meeting, the provincial agriculture department officers briefed the minister on the salient features of the programme through a detailed presentation.

The officials told the meeting that women farmers from 12 districts of the province would be included in the programme on internship basis, while husbands and children of internees would also be part of it.

Initially 4,000 female and males would be selected from 25 villages of five districts, the officials said adding, this would include 2,000 each female and male farmers, while 2,000 cards would be provided to the participants in the first phase. They added that the survey of such women would be conducted through NADRA and BISP.

Speaking on the occasion Rahoo said initially Rs500 million would be spent on the programme being introduced to curb the poverty in those districts of the province, where irrigation system is not available.

“The government would also provide rickshaws to female farmers for selling their vegetables in the market while women would also be given training to develop their nurseries and they would be paid for it,” the minister added. The provincial minister said the women would also be trained and provided with the material to start small-scale tomato ketchup and pickles businesses at home.

“Sindh government has introduced kitchen gardens in several areas of Thar and women farmers of rural areas would also be helped out to produce sunflower oil in rural areas,” Rahoo said.