World Bank Signs Agreements With Pakistan to Support Agriculture and Child Nutrition Projects

Agreements worth US$305 million were signed with the World Bank on Friday to support projects in agriculture sector in Punjab and to improve the nutritional status of children as well as women in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Strengthening Markets for Agriculture and Rural Transformation (SMART) in Punjab Program of US$300.0 million (Loan): 

The SMART Punjab program is aimed to help the government of Punjab to promote transformational change in the crop and livestock sub-sectors by focusing on activities contributing to three Results Areas:

  • Increased on-farm productivity and value of crops and livestock;
  • increased value addition and competitiveness of crops and livestock;
  • enhanced resilience of smallholder farmers to climate change and natural disasters.

Each Results Area involves a specific combination of policy reforms, institutional strengthening and public investments.


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The following two sources of finance will support the activities under SMART-Punjab program:

  • Government of Punjab  – US$ 1,290.0 million
  • World Bank (loan) –  US$ 300.0 million

Additional Financing to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for the Enhanced Nutrition for Mothers and Children Project of US$ 5.0 million (Grant):

The objective of the grant is to scale-up nutrition intervention in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to improve the nutritional status of children under two years of age, as well as pregnant and lactating women.

Arif Ahmed Khan, Secretary, Economic Affairs Division (EAD) signed the Loan and Grant Agreements on behalf of Government of Pakistan while representatives of Government of Punjab and Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa signed their respective project agreements. Patchamuthu Illangovan, Country Director, World Bank signed the Loan and Grant Agreements and the Project Agreements on behalf of World Bank.

The secretary, Economic Affairs Division (EAD) thanked the World Bank for extending its continuous support to the Government of Pakistan in its efforts to achieve sustainable economic development in the country, according to a press release.


  • i give a simple answer to reform agriculture in a way of promoting single crop to extract healthy oil, is the plantation of olive trees which require minimum water for sustenance. For example 1acre yields 3000 litre of olive oil with a market price of 500rs per litre (3000×500=150,000 rs) now multiply 150k with 1 million acres will produce 1.5 trillion rs annually and will create direct 250,000 jobs for the next 300 years.

    Lets get the amount of 1.5 trillion in perspective, lets convert it to globally accepted currency $ and it roughly amounts to $14.5 billion every year.
    enough to finance
    40 nuclear capable submarine every year.
    780 JF17 every year.
    4,000 Al Khalid MBTS every year.

    Now simply do the math and see how many school, clinics and hospital can be established?

  • The corrupt government lack the sense of direction and vision not to mention the education as well to direct Pakistans future to prosperity. With both the borders unsecure daily deaths in mass bombings and random killing the government bodies squiblling about to see who gets to sit in chair of authority.


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