Fruit orchards planted on 700 acres of land in Farah last year

FARAH (Pajhwok): During the past one year, fruit orchards were established on 725 acres of land in western Farah province, Agriculture and Livestock Department officials said on Thursday.

Maulavi Abdul Ghani Abed, the head of Agriculture and Livestock Department, told Pajhwok Afghan News the Roots of Peace organization planted the orchards in the provincial capital, Khaki Safid, Bala Buluk, Pushti Koh, Bakwa and Pusht Rud districts.

Most of the orchards are of grapes, pomegranates, peaches and jujubes, Abed said.

His department was trying to promote gardening in Farah province and provide orchard owners with more facilities, he added.

Abed said the agriculture department has provided orchard owners with necessary equipment to improve and protect their trees.

Abed did not know the cost on orchards, but added the Roots of Peace Organization was working to establish fruit orchards and it implemented United Nations Development Program (UNDP) projects.

Baryalai Nasrat, provincial head of the Roots of Peace, said his organization funded creation of orchards on more than 650 acres of land in Farah province.

He said it was the Roots of Peace organization’s policy not to share information about the costs of their projects.

According to Nasrat, the Department of Agriculture monitors their projects and does not help them financially.

Orchard owners and farmers confirmed the Department of Agriculture and Livestock helped them in protecting and promoting their orchards.

Mirwais, an orchard owner of Yazd village, commended the Agricultural Department’s efforts for promotion of orchards in Farah province.

He added: “Many people received  tree saplings with the help of Agriculture Department, I also created an orchard of grapes and peaches on one acre of my land”.

But he complained about the shortage of irrigation water and urged the government to build water dams.

Ghulam Hassan, another resident of Farah, said orchards were more beneficial than other crops and the government must create awareness in this regard.

He added: “The Department of Agriculture planted peach orchard on my half acre of land and also gave me gardening tools”.

It is worth mentioning that most orchards were parched or destroyed because of the wars and drought during the precious years and after the takeover by the current acting government, people have turned to planting fruit orchards.

aw/ma