Drought affects grapes yield in Kandahar this season

KANDAHAR (Pajhwok): Orchard owners and fresh fruit traders in southern Kandahar province say the harvesting of grapes has begun in the province, but the yield would be low this year due to the ongoing drought.

A gape orchard owner in Panjwai district, Abdullah, told Pajhwok Afghan News the drought had affected the grape crop besides other crops.

He said an orchard that used to produce 100 tons of grapes would hardly produce 60 tons this year due to the drought.

He said in such a situation gardeners expected a good market and export of the fruit, otherwise, they would incur huge losses.

Abdul Qayum, another orchard owner in Zheri district, also complained about drought and the reduced yield of grapes. He told Pajhwok Afghan News there was a shortage of water this year, which resulted in a reduced yield of grapes.

“In the previous year, war and insecurity affected the yield and exports of grapes and this year the drought wasted our entire year’s hard work. Not only the yield but prices of grapes are also low this year.”

He urged the government to find good market for the grapes and pave the way their export to foreign countries and this way the losses of farmers will be somehow compensated.

Haji Mama, a worker at a grape orchard in Panjwai district, said in the past many workers would be hired to harvest grapes in an orchard, but these season orchard owners did not hire workers and harvested the grapes themselves.

He said orchards that did not face water shortage problems gave satisfactory yields, but orchards that lacked water produced low yield or dried up.

Sher Ahmad is another laborer who works all the day collecting grapes against 200 afghanis due to unemployment.  He told Pajhwok that previously when grapes yield was abundant, a worker was paid up to 400 afghanis, but now it was difficult to find work against 200 afghanis.

Haji Nani Agha, head of the Kandahar Fresh Fruits Association, said grape yields had dropped by 50 percent this year compared to last year.  He said in the early season the grape yield was good but later due to a shortage of water, the grapes fell.

“The yield is low this year, we expect that there will no problem with regard to export of the fruit because Afghan and Pakistani officials and chambers of commerce  have had regular meetings in this regard.”

Engineer Abdul Baqi Bina, deputy head of the Kandahar Chamber of Commerce, said only 7,000 tons of grapes had been exported last year due to fighting and road closures, but this year exports would increase if road closures and other problems did not occur.

He informed about a new development in this regard, saying previously fruits were exported in ordinary vehicles, but this year 200 refrigerator vehicles would be used to export the fruit in good quality.

In the past, Pakistan would create problems for export of fruits from Afghanistan at Spin Boldak-Chaman crossing, but this time talks had already been held with the Pakistani officials who had assured that no problem would be created for Afghanistan exports.

The current price of a kilogram of grapes in Kandahar hovers between 30 afghanis and 70 afghanis. Sellers of the fruit say they lack buyers because people face economic problems and they buy things which are unavoidable.

Last year the yield of grapes reached 290 tons but this year the yield will be low due to drought. Panjwai, Zheri, Dand and Arghandab are districts of Kandahar which are home to many grape orchards. Besides Pakistan, the grapes produced in Afghanistan are exported India, UAE and some European countries.

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