PESHAWAR, Jan 18: Farming is an important pillar of the economy of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and a comprehensive plan has been launched for promoting agriculture on scientific lines.

Schemes have been introduced for planting fruit bearing trees in place of wild olives, promoting off-season vegetables, growing more orchards, cultivating mushroom and tea. Reclamation of cultivable wasteland and raising the awareness level of tribal farmers about modern farming also makes part of the new schemes, said an official of the Governor’s Fata Secretariat.

So far one million wild olive trees have been grafted for their conversion into oil bearing varieties which would be ready for extraction of edible oil in the next three years, he said, adding that the project would cost Rs3.4 million.

Similarly, 110,000 more olives were being grafted during the current fiscal year out of which 42,000 had been grafted in Bajaur Agency. A scheme costing Rs59.985 million had been prepared for grafting of 2.3million olives trees.

Under the wasteland reclamation project 14,226 acre of barren land was being made cultivable at a cost of Rs 183.106 million and 7,430 acre land had been reclaimed.

Farm service centres had been established in all tribal agencies to train and provide better services to farmers. A sum of Rs81.064 million had been provided by the government for the scheme. Each farmer would have to contribute Rs600 for availing facilities like purchase of high yielding seeds, pests, tractors, use of spray pumps and fertilizers at discounted rates.

The Fata agriculture department has laid nursery farms of fruit plants on large tracts and an estimated 300,000 fruit plants would be provided to farmers this year on subsidised rates and orchards would grown on an area of 480 acres.