Islamabad, September 15, 2010 – The United States has committed Rs 1.7 billion ($21 million) to provide seed and fertilizer to flood-affected farmers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The money will help ensure there's a viable crop of rabi wheat this winter and prevent future food insecurity.

Rs 1.3 billion ($16 million) of the funds for the program will be provided by the Kerry-Lugar-Berman Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act. An additional Rs 428 million ($5 million) will come from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA).

The program will be implemented by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and will provide wheat seed, vegetable seed and fertilizer packages to help approximately 1.7 million people in 12 districts, particularly female-headed households, female farmers, and households with children under five years old.

"Providing the wheat seed will help ensure farmers can maintain the normal plant and harvest cycle," USAID Mission Director Bob Wilson said. "As the floods recede, similar programming will support additional farmers in other flood-affected areas of Pakistan."

To date, the U. S. has provided more than Rs 22.3 billion ($261 million) in emergency humanitarian assistance to the people of Pakistan. The U.S. also has provided other civilian and military in-kind assistance in the form of halal meals, pre-fabricated steel bridges and other infrastructure support, as well as air support to and within Pakistan to transport goods and rescue people, valued at approximately Rs 3.4 billion ($40 million).