Hybrid seeds distributed in quake-hit area
By Muhammad Ali Malik

ISLAMABAD—USAID funded Improving Livelihoods and Enterprise Development (I-LED) program implemented by CNFA , a Washington D.C based international development organization, haslaunched an ambitious program of distributing free of cost hybrid seeds in the quake affected areas of Pakistan to improve agriculture economy of natives.
Initially, the I-LED is distributing hybrid seeds of Maize, Potato and Tomato after successful trial experiment in the local environment. Hybrid seeds of some other locally grown crops and fruts will be distributed after completion of trial period. Deputy Project Director I-LED, Dr Muhammad Riaz introducing 14 hybrid variety of Maize to local farmers on Wednesday in a village Daryal in Siran valley informed that productivity of hybrid variety would be ten times more than locally grown Maize.
“It will not cover production cost but farmers will receive cash by selling surplus yield in the local market”, he said.
Giving on-field demonstration to farmers, he said that hybrid variety offered more resistance to diseases and size and number of grains were on a single fruit as compared to local variety.
About future I-LED programs, he said that the organization is building cold storage facility for Potatoes in Kaghan valley.
The I -LED is a 3-year initiative funded by United State Agency for International Development (USAID) implemented by CNFA to assist those communities affected by the October 8, 2005 earthquake living in Siran and Kaghan Valleys located in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Bagh district located in Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK), by linking them to markets with economic growth potential.
The other areas in which I-LED is working include restoring livestock, improving veterinary services, constructing animal shelters, rehabilitation of irrigation infrastructure, vocational training, crop production and post harvest training, agricultural input distribution, pilot processing and marketing enterprises and revitalizing tourism . Support for CNFA’s I-LED program is part of USAID’s four-year$200 million Earthquake Reconstruction Program that is buildinghundreds of schools and health facilities, and supporting better quality health and education services and improved economic activities in the quake-affected areas of NWFP and AJK.