KARACHI, Feb 17 (APP): Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF), under Growth for Rural Advancement and Sustainable Progress (GRASP) project, distributed matching grants worth Rs 269 million amongst 128 beneficiaries to promote agri-business in Sindh.
Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety and Chairperson Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) Shazia Atta Marri said while speaking at the distribution ceremony here on Friday that the incumbent government was determined to serve the underprivileged communities of Pakistan and pull them out of poverty.
She termed GRASP as a critical intervention for the economic uplift of the rural areas of Sindh and hoped that it will not only improve the financial conditions of beneficiaries but also create job opportunities in targeted areas.
She appreciated the efforts of PPAF aimed at transforming the lives of the poor communities by enabling them to earn sustainable livelihoods and also lauded the GRASP for its special focus on gender equality, the inclusion of minorities, and climate resilience in the project, which will also improve Pakistan’s performance against the SDG indicators in the long-run.
The GRASP is a European Union (EU) funded project being implemented by International Trade Centre (ITC) in collaboration with Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Under GRASP, the size of the grants distributed ranges from Rs 0.5 to 2.5 million based on the business plans shared by the SMEs and the robust evaluation of the capacities of the SMEs conducted under the project earlier.
Head of Political Section, Delegation of the European Union to Pakistan Daniel Clauss, speaking at the occasion termed GRASP as a significant investment to boost agriculture in Pakistan and expressed pleasure that 47 out of the 128 SMEs owners receiving their awards were women.
He informed that the project is designed to promote climate adaptive and resilient production to also tackle the issue of climate change in Pakistan.
Chief Sector and Enterprise Competitiveness, ITC Robert Skidmore said that the matching grants epitomises GRASP’s co-investment with the private sector to create jobs, improve climate resilience, add more value, and ultimately reduce poverty.
Chairperson PPAF Roshan Khursheed Bharucha said that GRASP was the continuity of the PPAF’s resolve to serve underprivileged communities and reach out to small businesses in rural areas for the provision of technical expertise and training to develop business proposals or to seek soft loans from banks.
Chief Operating Officer PPAF Nadir Gul Barech informed that in the first cycle, Rs 106.5 million were disbursed for 55 SMEs after a competitive process in targeted value chains. The project is governed by three steering committees i.e., at the national level led by the Government of Pakistan and two at the provincial level led by the governments of Sindh and Balochistan, he added.
Secretary Industries Abdul Rasheed Solangi, representatives of the partner organisations including FAO, SMEDA RDF, TRDP, GSF, SAFCWO and GRASP beneficiaries along with other dignitaries were present in the ceremony.
