Farmers, in the country’s southern province of Farah, expressed happiness over what they said an increase in watermelon and other agriculture products this year, the provincial agriculture department said the other day.
Ferula and some other sap-producing plants have also been said to have given good yields, as dozens of farmers grew them on their lands in the neighboring Kandahar province.
Meanwhile, in the same province, officials said they have exported 29 tons of raisins worth $96 million, this year. However, they say if their products were provided with a market inside the country, especially in the widely-raisin producing Kandahar, their exports to foreign countries may double. Officials at the Farah Department of Agriculture say more than 5 million tons of watermelons will be harvested from more than 15,000 hectares of lands in the province this year. They added that a large amount of watermelons were harvested from Posht Koh and Posht Road districts of the province.
Abdul Ghani Ebad, an official of Farah Agriculture and Irrigation Department, said approximately 15,268 hectares of land has been cultivated that will yield more than five million tons year.
On the other hand, farmers in the province, besides being delightful with the increased watermelons products, are worried by the high price of chemical fertilizers. “We are very happy to work to make it easier for the people to purchase with reasonable prices,” one of the farmers, Jamil told The Kabul Times.
Last year, one kilogram of watermelon in Farah province was sold for two to three Afghanis, but this year each kilogram of watermelon is sold for up to ten Afghanis. Coinciding the start of the fresh fruit harvest season, especially watermelons and melons in the country, a number of traders are complaining about the lack of marketing for these products and transit problems with Pakistan.
The emirate government had better pay serious attention in this regard. Faint exports through the corridor and transit challenges that are likely to worsen these years to export fresh fruits of the country. It has been made them worried the exporters of fresh fruit called on the government of the Islamic Emirate to re-open the air corridors for active export, otherwise there will be many problems for the export of their agricultural items and products.
They say that today, when security is guaranteed in the country but other problems have challenged them, they express hope that the Afghan markets of Commerce will provide good opportunities for them to export fresh fruit, which is now the season.
Slowly At the same time, we have good news about the weather in Badghis province in the agricultural sector. In this province, farmers have cultivated Ferula Herb instead of poppy. Ferula or herb is a commercial plant and it is very useful wherever it is cultivated. The regiment produces flowers only once during the growing seasonal juice is collected. According to the statistics of the Badghis provincial Department of Agriculture and Irrigation, up to fifty kilos of sap is obtained from each acre of Ferula land at the time of harvest. Most medicines and other medical products are made from Ferula syrup. Each kilogram of beta Ferula juice is sold for up to 30,000 Afghanis this year. Economic experts in Badghis believe that Ferula farms will change the economic situation of the province’s peasants: Ferula cultivation takes three to four years and then it is obtained. If the result is good; each farmer earns two million Afghanis from one acre of Ferula or herb farmland. The head of agriculture in Badghis province says 1,400 hectares of land have been cultivated in Badghis province this year. Last year, only 700 hectares of land was cultivated throughout Badghis , the sap of Ferula is harvested from this province and exported to various countries including Iran, Pakistan and India.
Amiri
Farmers cheered up by increased watermelon products in Farah
