Zabul almond yield increases by 23pc this year

KALAT (Pajhwok): Almond yield in southern Zabul province has increased by 23 percent this year and mostly imported to India and Pakistan, an official said on Friday.

Almond yield in Zabul harvested in late October.

Agriculture Director Mawlavi Attaullah Rashid told Pajhwok Afghan News thousands tonnes of almond yield collected every year from almond orchards in Kalat, the provincial capital and Day Chopan, Arghandab, Shah Joy, Sewrai, Shinkai, Nawbahar, Smalzai, Shahr-i-Safa and Khak Afghan districts.

He said almond orchards are cultivated on up to 3,000 heactares of land in these districts which produced 1,240 tonnes of almond this year showing 23 percent surge compared to the last year.

He said last year, 7,488 tonnes of almond yield was collected from these orchards.

Rashid said besides surge in yield, the sale price of almond was also fair due to which farmers are happy.

Ghulam Qahir, a farmer from Sewrai district, said this year almond yield was satisfactory.

“Last year I collected 4,000 kilograms of almond from my orchard while this year I collected 6,400 tonnes of almond,” he said.

He asked the Ministry of Agriculture and aid providing organisations to guide farmers how to protect their crop from disasters and diseases.

Haji Abdullah, one of the farmers, who export thousands tonnes of almond annually out of the country, said Zabul has a variety of almond --- Kaghazi, Mumpali, Syedkheli, Niyaz Mohammad and Kati --- with high quality and good market outside the country.

He said besides increase in the quantity of almond there was increase in the rate of almond as well.

He said currently the rate of 4.5 kilograms of high quality almond was 2,800 afs in Zabul, while last year the rate of the same quantity of almond was 2,000 afs.

Haji Abdullah said currently the transportation problems were also resolved and people could transfer their goods without any tension.

He said until now thousands tonnes of almond had been exported and the process was still underway.

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