Inception workshop of sustainable rice production project held

KARACHI, Sep 23 (APP):An inception workshop of the Sustainable and Regenerative Management of Rice Production in Pakistan Project (SRMRPP) was held here on Wednesday.

The project is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and is being implemented by the Sindh Rural Support Organization (SRSO).

Barrister Pir Mujeeb-ul-Haq, Member of the Provincial Assembly and Convener of the SDGs Task Force, Sindh Government, and Chairman of the Standing Committee on Law, Parliamentary Affairs and Human Rights, was the chief guest on the occasion.

In his welcome address, SRSO Chief Executive Officer Muhammad Dittal Kalhoro briefed the participants about the objectives of the project.

Natural Resources Officer / Lead Technical Officer for GEF-funded projects at UNFAO Bangkok, Beau Damen, presented the global context of the project and shared experiences of its implementation in other countries, including Nepal, Bhutan, China, Sri Lanka, India, Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia.

National Technical Coordinator Mohsin Azam Soomro gave a detailed presentation on the project’s components, outcomes, outputs and expected results in Pakistan.

A panel discussion was held during the technical session, which was moderated by Masood Lohar. Water expert Dr Hassan Abbas, climate change expert Dr Arjumand Nizami and Director Technical, Agriculture Research Sindh, Tando Jam, Dr Nihal Mari were the panellists.

In the closing session, representatives of public sector partners including Agriculture Extension, Agriculture Research Sindh and Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) and private sector partners including Pakistan Basmati Heritage Foundation (PBHF) and Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP) shared their views.

Vice Chancellor of Sindh Agriculture University, Tando Jam, Prof Dr Altaf Siyal also spoke on the occasion and extended best wishes for the successful completion of the project.

Representatives of UN agencies including the World Food Programme (WFP), International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UNDP, the SDG Unit Lead at the Planning and Development Department, Government of Sindh, heads of agriculture and rural divisions of various banks including UBL and Sindh Bank, representatives from academia including Aga Khan University, Karachi University and Sindh University, Jamshoro, Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), and representatives of the private sector and NGOs including Women Chamber, SRPO, SAFWCO, TCO and Aurat Foundation attended the workshop.

A large number of researchers, water experts, students, environmentalists, academics, media personnel and civil society representatives were also present.