Sar-i-Pul grower creates drip irrigation system

KABUL (Pajhwok): A resident of northern Sar-i-Pul province has established a drip irrigation system to irrigate his crops in the wake of a drought and water shortages in the country.

Shahabuddin Arian, 30, has a degree in social sciences. He said farmers in the province had been facing water shortages and drought in recent years. As a result, they have been unable to receive good crop yields.

Arian added he had established a drip irrigation system on his farms and was striving to encourage other growers as well to use this arrangement.

He has cultivated half of an acre of land with potatoes and irrigated it using the newly-established system to draw the attention of other farmers to the drip irrigation system.

“We all have a responsibility for meeting water shortages, so I created a drip irrigation system at a cost of 35,000 afghanis.”

Arian continued: “By establishing the system, I have reduced water consumption and increased production. The purpose of this initiative is to guide farmers on how to get better yields by consuming a smaller amount of water.”

He purchased 300 metres of a pipe, a small water pump, 30 metres of plastic and a 50,000-litre water tank at a cost of 30,000afs.

Arian said using the drip irrigation system had reduced the use of water and increased yields. He urged other farmers to use the system to irrigate their fields.

Qari Abdul Qadir Wahdat, head of the agriculture department, welcomed Arian’s initiative, saying it was efficient at a time of drought and water shortages.

He called on all growers to use the same irrigation system to harvest bumper crops despite water shortages.

sa/mud