Fruit plants to be cultivated on 500 acres of Helmand land

LASHKARGAH (Pajhwok): Fruit saplings will be planted on over 500 acres of land in southern Helmand province coming solar year, an official said on Wednesday.

Haji Shah Mohammad Khan, Orchard Development director at the provincial Agriculture Department, told Pajhwok Afghan News during an exclusive chat that pistachio saplings will be planted on 100 acres of land, date sapling on 250 acres of land and the remaining land will be used for different types of fruit saplings.

He said in the past fruit farms were cultivated on over 300 acres of land but those trees dried up due to continued drought.

Khan said ROP organization was helping the agriculture department in this scheme which will be launched next solar year.

He said 20 pc of the expenses will be afforded by the orchard owners while  POR will pay 80 percent cost.

nh/ma