JALALABAD (Pajhwok): The Canal Department date orchard in eastern Nangarhar province is expected to produce up to 22 tonnes of dates this year, an official said on Tuesday.
Last year the Farm-i-Hadai area orchard generated 18 tonnes dates while this year’s yield is expected to reach 22 tonnes.
Sayed Humayon Gharibmal, spokesperson of the Canal Department, told Pajhwok Afghan News there was significant increase in the date yield this year.
“The Farm-i-Hadi orchards is stretched to 20 acres which last year produced 18 tonnes of yield and this year it is expected to produced 22 tonnes of yield,” he added.
He linked increase in the yield with growing facilitation of agriculture as well as the new trees starting to produce fruits.
Gharibmal said: “All agriculture facilities had been provided at the date orchard therefore there was increase in the date production and establishment of new orchards.”
The Canal Department has established a new orchard on 12.5 acres of land and it is expected that it would start producing fruit in five years.
“We support private sector to create date orchard, we give them saplings to promote the cultivation of date orchards in Nangarhar.”
Abdul Qayyoum Atrafi, in-charge of the Farm-i-Hadi date orchard, said this orchard which was established with the support of Saudi Arabi 14 years ago has started producing six types of dates from the past four years.
“If the government support the cultivation of more date orchards and pay attention to its care this will help increase the date yield and generation of jobs in the country,” he said.
Local residents have stressed over drawing attention to the date processing besides cultivation of its orchards.
Wadan, a local resident, said the local dates were presented in the market in unfair manner and it could not compete with the imported dates.
Navidullah, another local resident, said the local dates are sold on a roadside when it is ready and stressed the need for a process system of processing.
Gharibmal acknowledged the processing issue and said efforts were on to establish a factory for the process and packing of dates.
Stretched on 20 acres of land, the Farm-i-Hada farm is situated in the eastern corner of Jalalabad City and has 2,700 trees.
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