Dairy Centers Debut in Afghan Province

American Forces Press Service ^

[SandRat]

LOGAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan, Jan. 26, 2010 – The Czech Republic-led provincial reconstruction team here and the provincial agriculture department completed two dairy centers in the Malak Abdullah Jan and Shikak villages in Pol-e Alam city today.

Members of the Czech Republic-led provincial reconstruction team and villagers check out a newly built dairy center in Afghanistan’s Logar province, Jan. 26, 2010. Courtesy photo  
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

Since milk is a source of income for many in these villages, the completion of these dairy centers will benefit about 7,000 people in the area, according to a provincial reconstruction team assessment.

"We had serious problems as we were moving from place to place without a stable facility," said Khwaja Mirulah, a dairy farmer.

The completion of the dairy centers, funded by the provincial reconstruction team, represents a significant improvement compared to last year, when diary farmers in the villages did not have even milk cans to collect their products. The team donated about 1,500 milk cans.

"It was quite usual that people would bring their products in a fuel canister," said Pavel Burian of the provincial reconstruction team. "In the future, we have a plan to build more collection centers."

The team, consisting of 10 civilians and 275 soldiers, has been helping the people in Logar province since March 2008. Their focus is to promote education, health systems, infrastructure building, security, agriculture, irrigation and independent journalism.

(From a Combined Joint Task Force 82 news release.)

[SandRat]

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