‘Kunduz may produce 30pc more almond this year’

KUNDUZ CITY (Pajhwok): Farmers in northern Kunduz province harvested 30 percent more almonds this year compared to the past year, according to local officials.

Decent weather conditions, plantation of refined almond saplings, quality gardening and curbing plant diseases have been termed as reasons behind the surge in the almond yield in the province.

Acting Agriculture Director Abdul Ghafar Sediqi said 8,465 tonnes of almonds were estimated from 6,580 almond orchards this year showing a thirty percent surge compared to the last year’s yield.

“Last year he said, 6,511 tonnes of almonds were harvested from orchards on 6,580 hectares of land, but this year a 30 percent more yield is expected from these orchards,” he said.

Abdul Khaleq Rahimi, one of the farmers, said: “By the grace of Allah this year or yield is better than last year, in the past cold weather and diseases affected our almonds. I hope that this year our almonds may be exported to other countries and other illegals ways of transfer are stopped.”

Officials, however, stressed over the export of Kunduz almond through air corridor to other countries.

Agriculture Department Expert Mohammad Munir Niyazi said: “The Ministry was trying to facilitate the export of almond-like the export of other items to foreign countries.”

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