Cotton yield doubles, but prices fall, say Balkh farmers

MAZAR-I-SHARIF (Pajhwok): Cotton yield has doubled this year compared to last year’s harvest in northern Balkh province, but growers are complaining about its reduced price.

Agriculture Department officials say cotton was grown on 28,000 hectares of land in Balkh this year, producing 40,000 metric tons of cotton.

Balkh Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock Department official Mohammad Hussain Azimi told Pajhwok cotton harvest had doubled compared to last year’s.

He said: “Fortunately cotton was planted on about 28,000 hectares of land in Nahrshahi, Chaharbulak, Chamtal, Dehdad and Shulgar districts and 40,000 metric tons of harvest was collected.”

According to him, last year cotton was planted on 25,000 hectares of land, producing about 20,000 metric tons.

He said last year hot winds and a pest called steambug damaged the cotton fields.

Farmers are happy with this year’s cotton harvest, but they say its prices are low.

Khan Mohammad, a farmer of Koshak area of Balkh district, said the cotton yield had increased, but its prices were low.

“This year’s yield is high, but the price is much lower compared to last year. We want the government to find a foreign market for our produce because we cannot even meet the input cost.”

Similarly, Mohammad Tahir, a farmer in Thatha Pul village of Balkh district, also said this year cotton prices had decreased by half compared to the previous two years.

He recalled two years ago one bushel (220kg) of cotton was sold for 27,000 afghanis and last year the same was sold for 23,000 afghanis, but this year the price fell to 11,000 afghanis.

Mohammad Tahir urged the Department of Agriculture to help farmers by providing them free fertilizers, medicines and improved seeds.

Omid, another farmer, said Afghanistan’s cotton was sold only in the Pakistani market and Pakistani traders determined its price on their own free will.

He asked the government to help farmers export their products to countries other than Pakistan.

Balkh Agriculture Department officials also acknowledge the marketing and other problems mentioned by farmers and say they have taken a number of measures to solve these problems and recently the export of cotton from Balkh to Uzbekistan has also started.

hz/ma