Punjab Barrages Improvement Phase-II Project (PBIP-II)

Objective:

The Government of Punjab planned to undertake the Punjab Barrages Improvement Phase-II (PBIP-II) Project by seeking the World Bank (WB) finance for this purpose. The project involves rehabilitation and modernization of the Jinnah Barrage and improvement and modernization of the irrigation and water management system. To address the social impacts of the project, Social Development Action Plan (SDAP) was developed. The objective of the SDAP is to enhance the project benefits to the local communities in the command and project areas.

 About five million people in the five districts inhabit the command area and their livelihoods depend directly or indirectly on the irrigation supplies of the Thal Canal.  Roughly 695,000 people derive their livelihoods directly from the irrigation supplies of the Canal. The Canal water is also used for drinking purpose, cattle consumption, and domestic uses in the entire command area.  Most significantly it is the lifeline of 120,421 acres in the Mohajir Branch canal command, where the underground water is saline and a population of nearly 328,000 people in 94 villages is totally dependent on the canal water for drinking purpose and crop production. To mitigate the impacts of extended canal closure, taking up of different initiatives were planned. These initiatives include rehabilitation of Water Supply Schemes and provision of early wheat seed varieties to small farmers to mitigate the impact of the possible extended canal closure on the agriculture of the area.

Role of PRSP:

For execution of seed distribution activity, the services of PRSP were hired by Irrigation Department. A formal agreement between Punjab Irrigation Department (PID) and PRSP was signed on December 10, 2011.  PRSP was selected for the subject job after an open and competitive bidding process. PRSP started operation for the execution of seed distribution activity, in year-I from January1, 2012, in Districts Mianwali, Khushab and Bhakkar and in year-II from January 1, 2013 in District Layyah and Muzaffargarh

Major Activities:

• Social Mobilization Identification

• Communication Strategy for assistance in agriculture input

• Communication Strategy for extended canal closure

• Wheat and Canola Seeds procurement

• Wheat and Canola seeds distribution

A brief detail of wheat seed distribution during the year 2012-13 (Year-I) is under;

• Total Project area villages   410

• Total Project UCs  71

• Total small eligible farmers received the Wheat Seed bags  27,951

• Total No. of Owners received the Wheat Seed

  bags   26,798 

• Total No. of Tenants received the Wheat Seed Bags 969

• Total No. of Share Croppers received the Wheat Seed Bags  177

• Total No. of Rental Based Farmers received the Wheat Seed Bags  7

• Total No. of Females received the Wheat Seed Bags 1,596

• Total No. of Males received the Wheat Seed Bags 26,355

• Total No, of Bags distributed   75,491

• Leaflets and posters prepared. Awareness process will remain continue throughout the project life

• 1,315 sessions of Agri input awareness delivered at Community level in year-I.

• Draft bidding document was submitted to World Bank in April, 2012. World Bank issued NOL in the month of September.

• 1188 meetings with community and 151 meetings with Govt. officials held.

• Out of 27,951 farmers, 26,798 owner, 969 tenants, 177 share cropper and 7 rental based farmers received the bags. Similarly, 26,355 male and 1,596 female benefited from seed distribution activity.

• 715 COs formed
• 210 sessions of Agri input awareness delivered at Community level in year-II.
• 53,851 farmers identified having area of 151,379 acres
• Leaflets and posters prepared. Awareness process will remain continue throughout the project life.
• Delivery points selected in all 2 districts and coupons were prepared
• 15,253 Wheat bags and 492 Canola bags distributed among 6,078 farmers in Muzaffargarh District and 81,441 Wheat bags and 4,238 Canola bags distributed in 29,752 farmers in Layyah District.
• Jullandar (Pvt) Ltd provided 1 pager about sowing techniques of Wheat & Canola seeds to 35,830 small farmers during the seed distribution activity.