Afghanistan asks UN to help manage its water resources

ATLANTA (Pajhwok): Acting Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock Minister Maulavi Ataullah Omari has asked the United Nations to help Afghanistan manage its water resources.

Omar met United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative for Afghanistan, Stephen Rodriques, in Kabul, the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) said in a statement.

Omari called MAIL a non-political service providing body. “The Ministry of Agriculture is a non-political services providing administration and has made many achievements, but farmers need machinery and modernization of cultivation and harvesting methods”.

Stephen said: “I am happy to be here in Afghanistan. Our goal is to solve people's problems, cooperate in irrigation, food and agriculture sectors and cooperate about capacity building and provide services to the people”.

MaulaviAtullahOmari asked the UN to pay more attention to the issue of rivers’ water management because it was essential for the development of the agriculture sector.

He said MAIL’s main goal was to create a proper working environment for the people, develop the sector and provide farmers with quality services.

According to Omari, Afghan farmers less benefitted from agriculture due to outdated methods of farming, lack of machinery, modified seeds and genetically modified animals so relevant international organizations need to help the farmers about the mentioned issues.

The UN was asked for help to manage rivers’ water amid a dispute between Afghanistan and Iran over the Helmand river.

aw/ma