Logar farmers want their products to be sold on afghani

PUL-I-ALAM (Pajhwok): A number of farmers and orchard owners in central Logar province demanded traders to purchase agricultural products from them on Afghanis instead of Pakistani currency.

Haji Abdul Saboor, a farmer in the Muhammad Agha district, told Pajhwok Afghan News traders purchased onion, tomato and potato from them and fruits from orchard owners on Pakistani currency --- Kaldar ---, a trend that inflicted financial losses on farmers and orchard owners.

He said they spent Afghani to grow crops, adding that, its sale on Pakistani currency could not earn their expenses because the later depreciate in the open market.

Khushal, a resident of Purak area of Pul Alam, told Pajhwok Afghan News that he had planted onions on two acres of his land and sold them on Kaldar.

He said, the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock should stop the use of kaldar and educate farmers to not to sell their products against Kaldar and encouraged them to use Afghani in their transactions.

He added: “The value of  depreciated a lot, but traders are forcing farmers and orchard owners to sell their agricultural products to them on Kaldar. right now, traders in Logar buy a bag of onions for 6,000 Kaldar, which accounted for 3,000 afs, and they cannot even cover the cost of the farm”.

An onion trader, who does not want to be named, told Pajhwok Afghan News that they buy the agricultural products that are exported to Pakistan Kaldar, because buying in Afs and selling at Pakistani currency, causes loss instead of profit.

Agriculture Department Spokesperson Shahidullah Hamraz, admitted to Pajhwok Afghan News that some traders are buying agricultural products from farmers to on Kaldar.

Logar is an agricultural province located near the capital city of Kabul. Most of its residents are engaged in agriculture, horticulture and livestock and they meet their daily needs through agriculture.

Hz/nh