Central Agribusiness Cluster
The cluster will have a focus on the promotion of high value agriculture and intensive production pockets of high value commodities. The cluster will comprise of 8 districts including Peshawar, Mardan, Nowshera, Mardan, Swabi, Charsadda . The key interventions and activities are stated below;
Interventions Areas
Activities
Pome & stone fruits
– Establishment of germ plasm and screen houses.
– Support to nursery growers associations/professional farmer organizations for establishment of screen houses, nurseries.
– Support to nursery growers in registration and certification of plants and nurseries.
– Technical assistance in Capacity building of their workers, technicians etc.
– Support to PFOs in establishment of commercial orchards.
– Support to farmers and organizations in value addition in fresh, processed, dried.
– Mobilizing investment in fruits processing, packaging and export.
– Support to farmers and FOs in commercial production of strawberry runners.
– Mobilizing investors through grant support for strawberry processing, export.
Citrus (sweet oranges)
– Nursery persons/farmer organizations strengthened for multiplication of certified fruit plants already available with ARS Tarnab, Germ Plasm Unit in Sherkhana and Germ Plasm Unit Haripur.
– Capacity building through certified courses for farmers through Academia/Extension Deptt.
– Support to PFOs in establishment of citrus orchards.
– Support in certification (GlobalGAP, IFS, etc).
– Mobilizing private sector investment in establishment of citrus processing units (washing, grading, waxing and pulping, storage etc.)
Dairy Clusters in Peri-Urban Areas
– Establishing FMD free zone – Promoting commercial feed production especially silage/concentrate feed.
– Promoting quality maize and other fodder including grasses (especially introduction of high quality seed).
– Provision of certified training for AI technicians and AI kits and Liquid Nitrogen Container – Self/Employment grant model – linked with Government Department – 1 per Union Council.
– Dairy processing (pasteurization) through farmer owned companies/PPPs.
– Capacity building through certified courses for farmers through Academia/Livestock Deptt.
Commercial Fruit Industry
– Introduction of adoptable germ plasm units.
– Adoptive research for seedless grapes.
– Development – Fruit nursery upgrading to certified and true to type planting material production systems.
Others
– Identified based on the market studies and business planning exercise to be carried out in the first year of the project implementation.