KUNDUZ CITY (Pajhwok): A number of farmers in northern Kunduz province complain their wheat crop on thousands of hectares of rain-fed lands has been damaged by a prolonged drought.
Expecting little wheat yield this year, growers also voiced concern at financial problems. They are urging the government to help affected farmers.
Local officials, meanwhile, acknowledge that rain-fed crops had been hit hard by drought. This year, they estimate, up to 80 percent of rain-fed lands will not any yield.
Abdullah, one of the farmers, said this year he had cultivated 2.8 tonnes of wheat on rain-fed land in Dasht Abdan but drought had taken everything from him. He said he was unable to bear such a huge loss.
“I used 2.8 tonnes of wheat as seed sown on rain-fed land and purchased urea but drought destroyed everything. I will not be able to get any yield,” he said.
Like Abdullah, many other growers have also been affected by drought. They said they were unable to cultivate rain-fed lands in the future.
Acting Agriculture Director Abdul Ghaffar Sediqi confirmed drought had wreaked havoc on farmers. He believed up to 40,000 hectares of rain-fed land would not produce any yield.
“Wheat cultivated wheat on nearly 50,000 hectares of land in Kunduz, where 80percent of the crop has been parched. We are trying to convey problems of farmers to the Agriculture Ministry and want NGOs to support growers,” he said.
nh/mud
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