Northern – Agribusiness Cluster
This cluster will have a focus on the promotion of fruits, high value vegetable aromatic plants, fisheries and livestock. The cluster will consist of 7 districts i.e. Bajaur, Dir Upper, Dir Lower, Malakand, Buner, Swat & Shangla. The key interventions and activities are stated below;
Intervention Areas
Activities
Pome & stone fruits
– Strengthening the existing germ plasm units (GPU) and establishment of more GBUs and screen houses.
– Support to Nursery persons/swat 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 organges)
– 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 department.
– 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.)
Offseason & high value vegetables
– Introduction of improved varieties and new technologies for OS/HV vegetable production.
– Grant support to PFOs in establishment of aggregation centers.
– Introduction of improved packaging.
– Mobilizing private sector investment in vegetable processing i.e chips, paste, ketchup, frozen etc.
– Support to farmers in market access and linkages.
– Capacity building of FOs along the value chain – Vegetable seed production under certification scheme
Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (including Saffron)
– Capacity building of collectors in specie identification, harvest, postharvest management and marketing.
– Establishment of linkages with potential markets/industry.
– Supporting private sector investment in MAP nurseries.
– Support to industry in system improvement, certification and branding.
Dairy, meat & small
ruminant
– Establishing FMD free zone – Organizing dairy farmers into PFOs.
– Building their capacity in animal hygiene, nutrition, and management.
– Support in establishment of milk collection and sale points.
– Mobilizing SMEs for investment in milk processing, pasteurization, and value addition.
– Breed improvement for milk and meat.
– Support in fattening of animals.
– Capacity building of farmers in raring small ruminants.
– Support in breed improvement in small ruminant.
– Mobilizing private sector in establishment of meat processing and value addition.
– Capacity building of butchers in standardized meat cuts and establishment of meat shops.
– Support in production of improved fodders.
– Market access and linkages.
Others
– Identified based on the market studies and
business planning exercise to be carried
out in the first year of the project.