Ministry of Economy of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) stressing on the important role of agriculture in the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and the need for mechanization of agriculture in the country says efforts are underway to further strengthen the system and improve the situation of agriculture sector in the country.
Deputy Minister of Economy Abdul Latif Nazari in a Facebook post has stressed on knowledge-based economy and the need for mechanization of Afghanistan’s agricultural sector.
“Afghanistan food security directly depends on agricultural products and any interruption in the process can directly threaten the country’s economic security, social and political situation; therefore, the respective points can be a lever for developing an idea towards launching knowledge-based companies in agriculture sector,” Nazari said.
Currently, the agriculture industry of the country needs big changes to transform it from traditional to commercial and economical as increasing the mechanization coefficient, particularly in orchards, issuing documents for agricultural fields, increasing productivity with knowledge-based agriculture, decentralization and granting authorizations to each region are only part of these changes that should be brought in agriculture sector.
However, in declared economic strategic plan, the main axis in agriculture sector will be the development of commercial and knowledge-based agriculture to enable Afghanistan to reach its real position in this field, but we should not forget that in recent years a number of regional countries that are not comparable to Afghanistan from the point of capacity and climate diversity somehow rule on this field. This means that we should not lose even a second and make use of the knowledge-based companies’ capabilities to regain the lost position.
One of the working priorities in the agriculture sector is to move towards industrial agriculture so that farmers can sell their products in accordance with approved standards and based on domestic needs and world markets.
It is worth mentioning that knowledge-based agriculture leads to sustainable agriculture and one of the main goals of the development of such type of agriculture is to generate incomes and create employment opportunities in rural areas to boost tranquility and reduce poverty among villagers. So, addressing the problems of knowledge-based companies can pave the ground for them to bring new technologies in agriculture sector.
Now, in consideration to the important role of knowledge-based companies in the country’s scientific progress and trade activities in the agriculture sector, strategies such as the codification of some supportive and incentive policies by the government, facilitation in granting low-interest and systematic loans and holding training for institutions and those interested in setting up knowledge-based companies to manage marketing can play an important role in the growth and prosperity of these companies.
To summarize, the country’s agriculture sector can play a vital role in the country’s gross domestic product and creating employment opportunities for people in various provinces.
Amiri