Kabul, 19 September 2007. Successful crop production depends to a large extent on the availability to farmers of disease-free seeds and other planting materials. It is for this reason that the Afghanistan government requested assistance from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to help establish a plant health testing and seed multiplication system in the country, provide necessary infrastructure and institutional mechanisms, review and update relevant legislation and regulations and train technicians in the use of appropriate technologies.
In response, FAO has provided funding up to US$ 420,000 as part of its Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) to support a 21-month project for Strengthening Seed and Plant Health Inspectorate Capacity in Afghanistan. This project will be complementary and part of the larger Euro 10 million Variety and Seed Industry Development Project funded by the European Union (EU).
An inception workshop of the TCP project was held recently in Kabul, which brought together 72 stakeholders from across the country to discuss the project's programme of work and contribute from the outset to the preparation of an operational plan of activities. Present at the workshop were dignitaries including HE Mohammad Sharif, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, Mr. Tekeste G Tekie, FAO Representative in Afghanistan and Mr. Matin Behzad, Advisor for Food Security and Rural Development in the European Union. The outcome of the one-day participatory workshop was a revised work plan and logical framework, which will guide the implementation and monitoring of the project's activities.
It is hoped that this new project will help pave the way for establishing a modern certification system for seeds and vegetative planting materials moving within as well as in and out of the country and strengthening national seed and plant health institutions. One of the major outputs expected from the project is the establishment of a Seed and Plant Health Inspectorate Service as part of the National Seed Board once the Seed Law is enacted.
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For more information please contact:
Assadullah Azhari
National Information Officer
FAO Kabul Afghanistan
+ 93 (0) 700 274 515
assadullah.azhari@fao.org