ASTANA—The Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS), with Kazakhstan’s support and in collaboration with the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), has launched a project to increase wheat production and enhance food security in Herat, dubbed Advancing Wheat Cultivation for Sustainable Development in West Afghanistan.
The Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS), with Kazakhstan’s support and in collaboration with the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), has launched a project to increase wheat production and enhance food security in Herat. Photo credit: The Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS).
According to the IOFS press office, this initiative focuses on Zindejan Province, which was heavily affected by last year’s earthquake. It targets 300 farmers, including 45 women.
The project is designed to increase wheat production and strengthen food security in the region by distributing 15 metric tons of improved wheat seed with Chont local variety, 15 metric tons of DAP fertilizer, and 30 metric tons of Urea fertilizer.
“Furthermore, essential agricultural machinery, including two tractors, four plows, two trailers, two threshers, and two harvesters, has been provided to enhance mechanization and optimize wheat cultivation ahead of the 2024 sowing season,” said the IOFS in a Sept. 30 press statement.
The project plans to address post-harvest losses and introduce seed-saving practices by 2025.
This initiative is part of the broader Afghanistan Food Security Program (AFSP), launched as a key outcome of the 17th extraordinary Council of Foreign Ministers on the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan in 2021 in Islamabad, Pakistan.
The project inauguration ceremony was attended by high officials, including Türkiye’s Herat Consul General Sinan Ilhan, TIKA Herat Office Coordinator Arafat Deniz, Head of the Kazakhstan Chamber of Commerce in Afghanistan Arman Yessentayev, as well as senior officials from the Herat governor’s office and the Afghan Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock.
Addressing the event participants, Ilhan expressed gratitude and emphasized the importance of the joint initiative between Kazakhstan, TIKA, and IOFS. He called for further collaboration with other Muslim countries to foster regional solidarity and sustainable development.
