2008 PRT News
PRT Success in Iraq is Not Just a Big Fish Tale
(Micro-grants spur fish and poultry production near Baghdad)
May 7, 2008
By Sgt. David Turner
Special Correspondent
Baghdad Province – Fish and poultry production is being stepped up in agricultural areas near the capital with the help of an Embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team (EPRT) working closely with its military counterpart.
Members of a Baghdad EPRT – there are currently nine of the State Department-led teams working in the Baghdad area -- visited a fish farm south of the capital recently to check its progress. They went with members of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team (BCT) of the 3rd Infantry Division; the military unit that works on reconstruction and stabilization projects with the Team.
Their host, Abdul Jabar Abid Kasim, received a $2,500 micro-grant from the EPRT to improve production on his fish farm, which is now showing noticeable signs of increased production.
Kasim’s operation lies in the al-Buaytha loop of the Tigris River, an area with a long history of fish farming. Currently, many farms do not produce enough fish to make it a commercially robust business. However, with the assistance of micro grants, some farmers are getting the help they need to grow.
Until recently Kasim’s operation yielded just enough fish to feed his family and others in the community. Now he’s looking forward to selling his fish in commercial markets and growing his operation.
The micro-grant provided ready cash for Kasim to repair his water pump and buy expensive, high-protein feed, which has already paid dividends in larger, healthier fish, said Capt. Christopher Flores, EPRT fish farm advisor. “It’s taken off a year of overhead for him,” said Flores, whose passion for recreational fishing led him to work with the EPRT.
Nineteen fish farms in the area have received one-time EPRT grants so far; most of them received the maximum of $2,500. Farmers like Kasim are identified to receive grants by their local representative in the agricultural union. “He understands this is a one-time micro grant,” Flores said. “He said if he does well enough he should have enough to buy another pond.”
With this year’s first harvest, Kasim plans to sell 1,500 kilograms of his carp to the Baghdad market. He then intends to use profits to buy a better pump to improve water circulation, which makes for healthier, faster growing fish.
In addition to improving his yield, Flores said Kasim’s real success is in how he did it by working with his local agricultural union. “He was able to convey his needs to his local union, which is Iraqi-led, and that union was able to work with the EPRT.”
“The process was there for an Iraqi to help another Iraqi. It’s boosting his confidence in his government if he can get something done with his local union.”
In Hawr Rajab two farmers, Mohammed Hussein and Amman Kameers, received 3,000 chicks each from the EPRT in a bid to jump-start their poultry industry.
“It’s meant as a start-up packet,” said Mike Stevens, the EPRT agriculture adviser. “It’s just to cut back on their input costs so they can make a profit and become self-sustaining.”
Poultry farming in Hawr Rajab, once a thriving industry, suffered at the hands of insurgents. Stevens said insurgents came to the area and stole chickens and destroyed chicken coops as a way to threaten the farmers.
“We had a lot of losses,” said Sheikh Majid Wiese, chairman of the local farmers union. “Since we started working with the (Sons of Iraq) and Coalition forces, we’ve gotten rid of those insurgents. Now we’re gearing toward agriculture.”
Distributing chicks to farmers is just one part of the program, said Stevens. In the coming months, the EPRT and its military colleagues will distribute feed and more than 12,000 egg-laying chicks to Hawr Rajab farmers.
They are also working to secure funds to complete refurbishment of the al-Ra’ad Poultry processing plant in Hawr Rajab, which could provide much-needed jobs to the region.
Increased capacity in poultry farming is intended to have a trickle-down effect in the local economy, Stevens said. Hatcheries in Baghdad will be able to sell more chicks to farmers, who in turn can supply more poultry products to local markets.
“Providing these chicks will help to increase our capacity about 25 percent,” said Rarad Abd Jalel Rashed, a poultry representative of the farmers union. “If we can get up to 50 percent, we will be able to be on our own and not need any assistance from anybody else.”