ISLAMABAD: US Amb­assador to Pakistan Donald Blome announced on Thurs­day that Washington, in par­tnership with the UN Food and Agricul­ture Organisa­tion, has delivered $8 million in assistance to Pakis­tani farmers affected by the recent devastating floods.

This is part of the $97m of US flood-related assistance to Pakistan this year, which focused on humanitarian needs, food security, and disaster preparedness and capacity-building efforts, Ambassador Blome said while addressing an event at the NARC, Islam­a­b­­ad. Farmers from flood-affected areas also participated in it.

Ambassador Blome highlighted the long history of the US and Pakistan adv­an­cing economic growth and solving development chal­l­e­n­ges together. “The United States remains firmly committed to partnering with the people of Pakistan to strengthen Pakistan’s economy and agricultural sector and to support the people of Pakistan in recovering from the 2022 flooding,” he said.

Rural communities were among the hardest hit by the disaster, especially in Balochistan, Sindh and Punjab.

Statistics show the disaster damaged more than 1.2 million hectares of agriculture land in Sindh, leading to catastrophic losses in agricultural production and livelihood.

Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2022