Apple yield up in Ghazni, farmers demand market, cold storages

GHAZNI CITY (Pajhwok): Apple orchards’ owners in southern Ghazni province say the fruit’s yield has significantly increased this year compared to previous years, but its prices are low amid lack of cold storages.

They are happy about the increased yield, but say the income will not even cover the expenses on orchards.

Mohammad Hassan, an orchard owner in Wazir Abad area of Ghazni City, told Pajhwok Afghan News he harvested 42 tonnes of apples from his orchard, higher than previous years, but its prices were low.

According to him, seven kilos of Japanese, Super Golden, Rich up and Ready apples were sold for 300 afs last year, but this year the same quantity of apples is sold for only 100afs and 150afs.

He said: “Right now it is harvest season, but traders’ lack of interest to purchase the fruit has forced us to sell them at a lower price before the apples spoil”.

Rahmanullah, another orchard owner, said they were in hurry to sell the fruit due to the lack of proper market and cold storages.

He urged the government to build cold storages to help farmers preserve their harvests.

“If we had cold storages, we would have been supplying the fruit to markets according to the demand of consumers and orchard owners would not have incurred losses”, he said.

Apple orchards exist in Khwaja Omari, Khugyani, Waghaz, Deh Yak, Andar, Qara Bagh, Muqur, Jaghori, Malistan, Ajristan and some other districts.

The orchard owners want relevant authorities to build cold storages and find good market for their produce to solve their economic problems.

Maulavi Idrees Hanif, the provincial Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation director, admitted the lack of cold storages in Ghazni but said they were trying to encourage government institutions, businessmen and humanitarian organizations to solve problems of orchard owners.

Hanif was pleased with the higher apple yields, but said: “Most fruits in Ghazni ripen in one season, so it is naturally difficult to find more buyers and the market also becomes bearish”.

Ghazni is among provinces where 80 percent of its residents are associated with farming and horticulture as their main source of income.

aw/ma