Rifles help bring seed to Helmand farmers

The distribution of wheat seed to farmers in the province is part of the Food Zone Programme designed by Helmand's Governor, Gulab Mangal, to help 32,000 farmers grow wheat this year instead of poppy.

The soldiers from 1 RIFLES, along with their colleagues in the Afghan Security Forces, have played an important part in delivering the Food Zone Programme by clearing roads of explosives and protecting the convoys bringing the wheat seed to distribution centres across the province.

By mid-December thirty thousand farmers had already collected seed from the Provincial Government and a further two thousand were expected to receive their seed in time for planting.

In his Eid speech on 8 December 2008 in Lashkar Gah, Governor Mangal announced that the start of the programme had been a great success saying:

"I am very pleased to see so many farmers and elders supporting this programme. It shows that when the Government and the people work together we can make Helmand a better, more prosperous province. This year's programme will be the example to other provinces and a model that we will follow in future years."

The £6m Food Zone Programme has been financed and supported by USAID (United States Agency for International Development), the Helmand Provincial Reconstruction Team and the UK Government's Department for International Development.

The seed will see 21,000 farmers benefiting in the Lashkar Gah area, 5,000 in Gereshk, 3,600 in Garmsir, 2,000 in Sangin and 900 in Musa Qaleh. In return for the seed, the farmers sign a commitment that they will not grow poppy this year.

The Afghan Government will enforce these agreements by increasing law enforcement efforts and targeting eradication on the farmers who break their promise. In November, the Counter-Narcotics Police in Helmand seized 17.7 tonnes of poppy seed as part of enhanced law enforcement efforts.

1 RIFLES, who are part of Task Force Helmand, partnered alongside troops from the Afghan National Army (ANA), were involved from the start of the operation to move over 200 tonnes of wheat seed from Gereshk to the distribution point in Sangin District Centre.

The route from 1 RIFLES' base at Shorabak crossed open desert to the banks of the Helmand River, picking up the convoy of civilian trucks at the market town of Gereshk and then up Route 611, Helmand's only major north-south road, which is flanked by high ground to one side and the green zone on the other.

The convoy, protected by ANA and the Riflemen in highly manoeuvrable WMIK Landrovers and Vector armoured patrol vehicles, faced some challenging conditions along Route 611.

During the night, for approximately 80km through choking dust clouds, Riflemen were also fighting the chill in their open vehicles as the temperature hovered above freezing. And at one point the convoy was halted after one truck hit an explosive device and each inch of the route had to be cleared by handheld mine detectors.

Following a link up with fellow Riflemen from the Battalion's E Company, which is based in Sangin, the convoy was able to push through the town's southern checkpoints and on to the relative safety of the District Centre where the wheat was unloaded by a workforce of 50 locally employed civilians.

The return journey was no less harrowing with the added knowledge that the Taliban now knew where they were and that they had to come back by the same route. Company Commander, Major Charlie Grist, said:

"Convoy tactics and communications were a challenge, given the range of participants and vehicle capabilities, which included civilian trucks built for less rigorous journeys. The convoy was under constant surveillance from enemy observers."

After 160km the Riflemen returned to their home base exhausted but having conducted a successful and important operation.

Emphasising the importance of the delivery, the spokesperson for Task Force Helmand, Commander Paula Rowe, said:

"The wheat seed should provide up to 2,000 farmers from the valley with six or seven successive harvests. With an average of eight to ten people per household, the Rifles' efforts will impact the lives of nearly 20,000 Helmandis. This is an excellent example of the work that Task Force Helmand is doing to support the Government of Afghanistan in providing enduring stability for its people."