FAO welcomes New Zealand's 2-mln-USD contribution to Afghan farmers

KABUL, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has welcomed a 2-million-U.S. dollar contribution of New Zealand to Afghanistan, FAO said in a statement on Monday.

The contribution will fund a new FAO project to provide humanitarian assistance in the form of agricultural inputs and cash assistance to 94,500 vulnerable farmers in Afghan provinces of Kunduz, Nangarhar, Parwan and Wardak, the statement read.

"We welcome New Zealand"s first ever contribution to FAO emergency and resilience program at this critical point in time for Afghanistan. Farmers need quality seed in hand to plant in early spring, and secure their harvest this year," Richard Trenchard, FAO Representative in Afghanistan, was quoted in the statement as saying.

The statement added that the assistance will provide the farmers with a chance to plant wheat in low-lying parts of the country, or maize and high-protein legumes, like mung bean and chickpea.

The contribution came as the Taliban-led caretaker government has speeded up its efforts to solve problems facing the farmers across the country and help them use advanced technologies in farming, according to agriculture officials.