ISLAMABAD, March 27: The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock and the Rural Support Programme Network (RSPN) have signed a Rs428 million contract to maximise crop production in over 1,000 villages across the country as part of a national food security project.

Under the contract, the ministry and the RSPN will implement the social mobilisation component of the special programme for food security and productivity enhancement of small farmers in 1,012 villages under the Crop Maximisation Project (CMP-II).

The project will be implemented in 26 districts with the aim of ensuring adequate food supply through increased production of food and cash crops. The project is expected to generate employment and provide sustainable livelihood and income in the food-insecure areas.

Officials say that the project’s outreach will be increased to 13,000 villages by the year 2015-16 under a phased programme as part of the government’s Mid-term Development Framework.

Social mobilisation is the centrepiece of CMP-II project because farmers in the target villages will be organised into associations and village organisations which will work with the project staff.

The project will be implemented by the RSPN over a period of four years, starting from April, in partnership with its six rural support programmes — the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme, Balochistan Rural Support Programme, National Rural Support Programme, Punjab Rural Support Programme, Sarhad Rural Support Programme and the Sindh Rural Support Programme.