Many flax oil producing factories shut in Baghlan

PUL-I-KHUMRI (Pajhwok): Producers of vegetable oils in northern Baghlan province say that most of flaxseed oil factories in the province had to be closed due to the shortage of raw materials.

Salahuddin Jabbarzada, head of a flaxseed oil factory in Pul-i-Khumri, the provincial capital, told Pajhwok Afghan News that a few months ago, they produced thousands of liters of oil a day, but now they produced a few hundred kilograms.

"There were previously 20 factories here but now only three are left due to shortage of materials, these factories also face shortage of materials," he said.

He said that they previously bought seven kilograms of flaxseed oil at 230 afghanis but now its price had increased to over 900 afghanis.

In response to a question, he said, "Traders export flaxseed to Pakistan and other countries. If they do not export the flaxseeds, factories would not have been closed and there would have been no shortage of materials.”

Abdul Nasser, a resident of Dahna Ghori district of Baghlan, said he had been using flaxseed oil at home for the past 14 years.

"I have brought flaxseed to my home to produce oil from it, the price of this oil is higher but it is good for blood pressure," he said.

Mohammad Azim, a shopkeeper in Pul-i-Khumri city, said some factories had to be closed due to depreciation of the afghani currency against the US dollar.

"Everything is now dependent on the dollar, it is impossible to reactivate all flaxseed oil factories if the afghani does not return to normal," he said.

Maulvi Abdul Fattah, spokesman for Baghlan Information and Culture Department, said the government was trying to stop trafficking of precious plants to foreign countries.

He also urged traders not to traffic these plants to other countries for the good of their own people and play their role in increasing domestic products.

Closure of flaxseed oil factories in Baghlan comes as the prices of other oils have been surging in the country with each passing day.

mds/ma