67 cold storages worth 37m afs inaugurated in Khost

KHOST CITY (Pajhwok): Agriculture officials say 67 cold storages for onion and potato crops have been established in southeastern Khost province at a cost of 37 million afghanis.

The officials say 49 of the storages were built for potatoes and 19 others for onion in the capital and six districts of the province.

Eng. Hafizullah Shah Noori, Khost agriculture director, during the inauguration of these cold storages today said that each storage had the capacity to store 15 tons of onion and potatoes for a period of six months.

He said their estimates show 1,050 tons of onion and potato were harvested in the province last year and the yields could increase to 3,500 tons this year.

“We will provide this facility to farmers who cultivated 1.5 to 2.5 acres of land with onion last year and had also promised to grow onion and potato on five to six acres of land this year. We also need vegetables, our products are exported to Pakistan against a very low price, but the cold storages would help store them at home,” he said.

Meanwhile, Khost governor Maj. Gen. Mahmand Katawazai told Pajhwok Afghan News that they would try to provide different facilities to Khost farmers.

He said up to 100 more cold storages would be also built in different districts of the province next year.

A farmer, Faiz Mohammad Atif said they needed the cold storages because they had no place for keeping onion and potatoes fresh.

He said they would sell their products at a low price due to lack of cold storages but the new facilities would help them earn more.

Mds/ma

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