PEEP to Benefit Rural Communities in Punjab: Julie Koenen

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LAHORE, Mar 15 (APP): The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director Julie A. Koenen has said the Punjab Enabling Environment Project (PEEP) will promote dairy, livestock and horticulture sectors through the empowerment of local rural communities.

In a message on the successful completion of the US funded seven years long project on Monday, she said the good work of the institutions supported by PEEP would continue to impact communities in Punjab well into the future, adding the PEEP leveraged approximately $240 million in private sector investment in the agricultural sector and created 16,000 jobs in the private sector.

The Mission Director said the programme was a successful collaboration between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Punjab government, adding that the most extraordinary thing about the achievements “We are celebrating today is that they are very likely just the beginning of a much longer story”.

“In many cases, I would like to thank the Punjab government and all the partners in the academia and private sector for their support”, she added.

The PEEP brought about improvements in the agriculture sector in Punjab by promoting private sector led growth, especially in horticulture, dairy, and livestock sub-sectors. The project also supported policy, advocacy, and regulatory reforms through a partnership with the provincial government, private sector, associations, civil society organizations, and academia.

Among the successes of PEEP project are the establishments of the Center for Excellence in Olive Research and Training and the Olive Foundation at the Barani Agricultural Research Institute in Chakwal, and the Center for Applied Policy and Research in Livestock Studies (CAPRIL) at the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) in Lahore.

The CAPRIL has completed 18 studies including one on the adaptability of the Holstein cows in Punjab, leading to the import of more than 12,000 animals. The PEEP also provided support to the Punjab Halal Development Agency in acquiring accreditation, and the institutional capacity to certify 61 companies on halal slaughtering standards and practices. The PEEP included initiatives for the economic growth of female livestock and dairy farmers. In Bahawalpur and Dera Ghazi Khan, the project supported 2,770 women in animal husbandry and business training.

The USAID also linked women farmers with micro-finance institutions to sustain and grow their businesses. The PEEP also supported the integration of small holders into the milk value chain by training 190-woman dairy farmers and 16 milk traders and the provision of motorcycle-mounted milk chillers.

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