Tuesday January 28, 2014
Kabul (BNA) Only a very small share of Afghanistan’s land, mostly in scattered valleys, is suitable for farming, and a majority of this farmland requires irrigation.
Water is drawn from springs and rivers and is distributed through surface ditches and through underground channels, or tunnels, which are excavated and maintained by a series of vertical shafts. Such a tunnel is known as a karez or qanat.
In 2001 some 2.44 million hectares (5.9 million acres) of farmland were irrigated. Wheat is the most important crop, followed by barley, corn and rice. Cotton is another important and widely cultivated crop. Fruit and nuts are among Afghanistan’s most important exports.
Afghanistan is noted for its unusually sweet grapes and melons, grown mostly in the south-west, north of the Hindu Kush, and in the fertile regions around Herat. Raisins are also an important export. Other important fruits are apricots, cherries, figs, mulberries, and pomegranates.
Livestock is nearly as important as crops to Afghanistan’s economy. Karakul sheep are raised in large numbers in the north. The tight curly fleece of Karakul lambs is used to make Persian lamb coats. Other breeds of sheep, such as the fat-tailed sheep, and goats are also raised. In a recent development, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock has announced it has offered fresh packages to the private sector and investors to invest in this field and further nourish agriculture and livestock in the country. Based on the statement of the officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, implementation of the new programs and strategies will pave the way to the products to be exported in the markets and it would also support standard packing and processing system.
Addressing a special gathering here in Kabul, Mohammad Asif Rahimi, the Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation said, “The new programs would persuade the investors to expand investing money in agriculture sector, the new packages will covered 2014 and 2015, the programs would provide relief in energy distribution to the industrial parks. “Rice and grapes productions have also increased as compare to the recent years while almond from 62,000 tons in the year 2002 has increased to 70,000 tones and a number of stocks have also been established to protect the products.” But, one of the important topics is that Afghanistan’s agriculture sector is old system and there is a need for revival of the sector. The government of Afghanistan also intends to facilitate the investors in transportation system. According to the fresh package, the investors would be able to transfer their products easily with lower prices to the markets. The Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation further stated that Afghanistan will soon joint World Trade Organization (TWO) and the membership would help the country to expand its agricultural products.
The Deputy Minister of Commerce & Industries said that the Afghanistan’s adhesion with WTO will help investors and traders to openly do their business and efforts would be undertaken to support the private sectors transfer agricultural products to world markets. Officials of the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation have expressed hope that implementation of the new programs besides boosting up agriculture sector will also prove employment opportunities to hundreds of the workers across the country.
