Sunflower cultivation at the Government Experimental Nursery. - - Food Assistance to Paktia Development Corps and Community Words.. The province of Paktia, which borders Pakistan, covers about one sixth of the country?s total area. The average per caput income in this region is significantly lower than in the country as a whole, and there is a high degree of unemployment or under-employment. The Government established the Paktia Development Corps which, with the help of the UN/FAO World Food Programme, and technical assistance from the Federal Republic of Germany, is organising work in the province to alleviate a quasi-emergency situation created by prolonged drought, and general development projects including riverbed protection, improvement of irrigation channels forestry development, construction of wells, road improvements and other development works. Volunteers engaged on these projects are receiving regular WFP rations consisting of wheat, canned meat and fish, dried milk and eggs, vegetable oil and tea at a total cost to WFP of over $1,482,000.