AIBAK (Pajhwok): A campaign to plant new fruit orchards on 427 acres of land has been completed in northwestern Samangan province, officials said on Sunday.
Eng. Abdul Hameed Khairkhwa, an orchard program official at the Agriculture and Livestock Department, told Pajhwok Afghan News the campaign initiated on February 19 came to an end today.
He said the orchards were established in the capital and districts of the province. Farmers for each acre of land were also distributed 20 to 30 kilograms of fertilizers and three kilograms of alfalfa, he said.
For each acre, 5,000 to 10,000 afghanis had been set aside. Half of the funds were paid by the World Bank (WB) and the rest by farmers, Khairkhwa said.
He said 146 acres of land had been planted with grape, 157 with apple, eight with almond, 46 with apricot, 32 with cherry, 12 with peach, 10 with walnut and 11 with pear saplings.
Zainuddin, a orchard owner in the Takia Diwana area of Old Aibak, said 230 better-quality saplings had been planted on his land by professional agriculture experts.
“The plants I received are better compared to those sold in the market. I hope they will be more productive,” he said.
The Agriculture and Livestock Department says 3,450 acres of land has been cultivated with pistachio, grape, apricot, cherry, peach and apple with support from the World Bank since 2010.
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