Taliban asks FAO to expand cooperation in agriculture and livestock
The Taliban administration says the acting minister of agriculture, irrigation and livestock met the head of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Afghanistan and called for greater cooperation in agriculture and livestock.
The press office of the Taliban administration’s Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock said today that the two sides discussed the development of agriculture and livestock sectors, the implementation of long-term programmes and the expansion of cooperation during the meeting.
According to the Taliban administration, Mawlawi Ataullah Omari claimed at the meeting that progress had been made in the agriculture and livestock sectors over the past four years, but that further growth in these sectors requires broader cooperation and investment.
He asked FAO to increase its cooperation in the provision and promotion of improved seeds, animal breeding, domestic production of seed and organic fertiliser, the establishment of soil-testing centres, the construction of watering points for livestock in plains and remote areas, the creation of milk collection centres and the building of slaughterhouses.
According to the published report, the Taliban administration’s acting agriculture minister also stressed the implementation of long-term development programmes, saying that greater attention to these sectors could help increase domestic production, improve livestock conditions and strengthen the rural economy.
Richard Trenchard, FAO’s representative in Afghanistan, also said the priorities of the Taliban administration’s Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock had been taken into account in the organisation’s programmes, and that FAO’s focus was on implementing long-term programmes. He added that the organisation was trying to attract more funding for Afghanistan and would continue its cooperation in the agriculture and livestock sectors.
According to the FAO representative in Afghanistan, donor countries have created a platform that places agriculture, alongside health, among the priority sectors for funding. FAO is one of the specialised agencies of the United Nations and works in the fields of food security, agriculture and livestock.
