MAIMANA (Pajhwok): It is time for the melon harvest in northwestern Faryab province while a number of farmers have complained against the non-availability of market and cold stores for their products.
They said ongoing drought had affected the rain-fed agriculture and in addition melon which is irrigated by fuel and more had work has no customer and the price on which it is sold could not compensate the expanses and hard work of farmers.
Rahmatullah, the resident of Azizabad village, in Maimana, told Pajhwok Afghan News unprecedented drought destroyed their rain-fed crops and due to the lack of market place they are forced to sell their products below the reasonable price.
He said two weeks earlier seven kilogram of melon from Jawzjan, Balkh and Kunduz province was sold against 150 afs to 200 afs in the Maimana market while now that it is time for the Faryab melon to be harvested the seven kilogram rate had decline to 70 afs.
He said: “The installation of solar panels, drilling of deep well, tractor use and urea on three acres land cost 200,000 afs and keeping in consideration the low price of melon it could not generate the amount spent on the crop cultivation.”
Gul Ahmad, another farmer, said the rain-fed cultivation has completed eradicated due to the drought while some farmers who cultivated melon on rain-fed land were forced to irrigate their crop from well.
He was satisfied with the melon crop on irrigated lands and said seven kilograms of melon was currently available 70 afs in the market.
Shamsullah Azizi, the resident of Karez Qela, area told Pajhwok Afghan News despite the fact that more rain and snow did not fallen this year but the melon crop was better.
He asked the government to reduce electricity charges on farmers, establish cold stores for agriculture product and provide help to the farmers with tractors and urea.
Hayatullah, another disappointed farmer, said he spent over 100,000 afs on two acres of melon crop, adding that his yield is about to fully harvested but he did not collected the amount that he spent.
“Drought destroyed the rain-fed crops and melon has no market, next year I will not cultivate melon but will go to Iran for work,” he said.
Agriculture Director Haji Ezzatullah Noorani acknowledged the farmers complaints and said in summer all the fruits rips and farmers bring them to the market therefor the prices decrease.
He said 80 percent agriculture in Fayab is rain-fed which is mostly eradicated while the remaining 20 percent is conducted on irrigated lands and these farmers also suffered due to the lack of market for their products.
He said solution to this problem is to address the complaints of farmers and gardeners, prevent the wastage of agricultural products, build cold storage facilities where farmers can store their fruits, melons and watermelons and gradually supply them according to the market demand.
He said on the bases of the Agriculture Department and local farmers’ recommendations, the Ministry of Agriculture will construct three cold storages in Maimana, Qaisar and Sherin Tagab districts.
Faryab is one of the provinces that has the largest consumption of melons In addition to local daily tens trucks of melons from Jawzjan, Balkh and Kunduz provinces are sold in the Maimana markets.
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