Qatar Charity (QC) and UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) have signed an agreement to distribute 350 tonnes of improved seeds among 23,300 farming families in Niger.
The project is financed by FAO and implemented by QC at a cost of QR1.6mn. The project targets some 163,000 inhabitants from 155 villages affected by the drought there.
The agreement stipulates that FAO will bear the cost of such seeds and all the other incurred costs, such as transportation and administrative charges, while QC will co-ordinate with the local authorities to implement all the phases of the project starting from media and awareness campaigns until the harvest season. It will also prepare related reports on the progress of the project and undertake the financial management process.
The agreement was signed by Abu-Bakr Dawali, representative of FAO in Niger, and Al-Suwaypiqi Mohamed Tahir, director of QC office in Niger.
Tahir said that this agreement came as part of a series of agreements between QC and FAO, some of which had been implemented in the previous years and the others would be implemented later.
“Through such partnerships with local and international organisations, QC aims at reaching out to the largest segment of the poor and needy in Niger and countries most in need around the world,” he pointed out.
This agreement is considered the 15th such between QC and FAO in Niger, and the third of its kind this year. Preparations are going on for two other agreements for the benefit of minor farmers.