IFAD • AICS • Government of Gilgit-Baltistan

Transforming Livelihoods Across Gilgit-Baltistan

The Economic Transformation Initiative (ETI-GB) is building resilient communities through irrigation infrastructure, agriculture value chains, and farmer cooperatives across all 10 districts of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan.

0
Infrastructure Projects
0
Farmer Cooperatives
0
Farmers Reached
0
Households Benefited
0
Districts Covered
Targets & Achievements
Progress Against Programme Targets

ETI-GB works toward clear, government-approved targets (revised PC-I, 2025). Each figure below shows what has been achieved so far against its target — updated live from the programme's monitoring system.

Households Reached
74,717 of 100,000 target
75% of target
New Irrigated Land
57,343 of 70,000 acres target
82% of target
Farm-to-Market Roads
595 of 700 km target
85% of target
Bridges Constructed
480 of 220 m target
Target achieved (218%)

Targets per ETI-GB revised PC-I (ECNEC, Mar 2025). Achievements auto-updated from the programme MIS.

Programme Overview
Three Pillars of Transformation

ETI-GB operates through three complementary components: building critical infrastructure, developing agriculture value chains, and strengthening governance through policy reforms.

Economic Infrastructure

Irrigation, farm-to-market roads & bridges

Irrigation (ILD) Schemes 111
Farm-to-Market Roads 123
Bridges 15
Households Benefited 39,084
Command Area 57,343 ac

Value Chain Development

Agriculture cooperatives & farmer groups

Agriculture Cooperatives 162
Farmers in Cooperatives 40,613
Apricot Value Chain 5,914
Potato Seed Farmers 1,978
Vertical Farming 545

Programme Management & Policy

Governance, policy reforms & institutional support

Land Titling Policy Approved
Land Digitization In Progress
Roads O&M Policy In Progress
Water Policy In Progress
Seed Certification In Progress
Programme Coverage
Project Interventions by District

A district-wise overview of all ETI-GB interventions across infrastructure and value chain components.

District ILD FMR Bridges VACs Orchards Nurseries 4Ps Vert. Farming
SchemesAcres RoadsKMs No.Meters VACsFarmers No.Kanals No.Kanals No.HH No.Prod. Kg
Astore 13 7527 22 98.6 1 35 15 3,351 98 566 3 8 1 122 183 164,426
Diamer 24 11117 27 132.3 6 156.8 23 5,024 84 528 2 — 1 — — —
Ghanche 22 11840 28 129.4 4 124.4 18 4,584 49 322 10 40 2 90 — —
Ghizer 23 14193 21 134.7 3 126.4 16 4,128 58 298 4 13.5 3 892 128 137,789
Gilgit 7 2277 5 26.4 — — 11 3,058 85 478 13 32 4 1,288 36 41,891
Hunza 5 2275 4 9.5 1 36.8 19 5,453 35 164 4 11 7 5,443 — —
Kharmang 1 786 1 4.6 — — 9 2,194 7 28 11 40 — — — —
Nagar 6 3555 4 16.9 — — 15 3,798 23 122 5 24 3 91 — —
Shigar 4 2548 5 23.2 — — 15 3,839 23 140 10 40 — — 57 30,353
Skardu 6 1225 6 19.4 — — 21 5,184 51 294 10 40 4 120 141 82,940
Total 111 57343 123 594.9 15 479.5 162 40,613 513 2940 72 248.5 25 8046 545 457,399
Agriculture Impact
Value Chain at a Glance

From apricot orchards to potato seed production, from dairy cooperatives to controlled vertical farming — ETI-GB supports diverse agriculture commodities across Gilgit-Baltistan.

5,914
Apricot Farmers
1,978
Potato Seed Farmers
545
Vertical Farming
513
Orchards
72
Nurseries
381
AKMD Dairy Farmers
Component 3
Programme Management & Policy Support

Beyond infrastructure and agriculture, ETI-GB strengthens the institutional and policy framework of Gilgit-Baltistan — ensuring long-term sustainability of development outcomes through governance reforms and capacity building.

Policy Milestones

Land Titling Policy
Government of Gilgit-Baltistan has approved the Land Titling Policy for ETI lands to be titled to beneficiary households, ensuring secure land tenure for smallholders including women-headed households.
Achieved
FMR Handover to Works Department
All programme-constructed Farm-to-Market Roads have been formally handed over to GB Public Works Department for future operation and maintenance.
Completed
Land Digitization
Board of Revenue is actively working on digitizing land records and implementing the land titling process across ETI-developed lands in all target districts.
In Progress
Roads O&M Policy
Formulation of a Provincial Roads Master Plan and Operation & Maintenance policy to ensure sustainable upkeep of farm-to-market road infrastructure.
In Progress
Water Policy
Provincial water policy formulation covering community-based irrigation O&M systems and formal Water User Association governance structures.
In Progress
Seed & Product Certification
Establishing local institutional capacity for seed and agricultural product quality certification, ensuring farmers produce meets market standards.
In Progress

Implementation Framework

Programme Steering Committee
Headed by Chief Secretary, GB — policy direction and oversight
Programme Coordination Unit
Provincial headquarters in Gilgit under P&D Department
3 Regional Coordination Units
Gilgit, Baltistan (Skardu) and Diamer (Chilas) regions
Line Department Partners
Irrigation & Water, Agriculture Extension, Board of Revenue, Cooperatives

SDGs Alignment

SDG 1No Poverty SDG 2Zero Hunger SDG 5Gender Equality SDG 8Decent Work SDG 9Industry & Innovation SDG 13Climate Action SDG 15Life on Land SDG 16Strong Institutions

Farmer Outreach by District

Infrastructure Projects

ILD Schemes by District

Geographic Coverage

All 10 Districts of Gilgit-Baltistan

ETI-GB operates across the entire Gilgit-Baltistan region, from the valleys of Diamer to the peaks of Hunza.

Hunza 19 VACs · 5,453 farmers
Skardu 21 VACs · 5,184 farmers
Diamer 23 VACs · 5,024 farmers
Ghanche 18 VACs · 4,584 farmers
Ghizer 16 VACs · 4,128 farmers
Shigar 15 VACs · 3,839 farmers
Nagar 15 VACs · 3,798 farmers
Astore 15 VACs · 3,351 farmers
Gilgit 11 VACs · 3,058 farmers
Kharmang 9 VACs · 2,194 farmers
Production Outcomes
Growing Sustainably

Vertical farming alone has produced over 457 tonnes of fresh vegetables, while 90 seed cellars secure potato seed stocks across the region.

90
Seed Cellars Established
457,399 kg
Vertical Farming Production
28
Village Producer Groups