Herat farmers demand cold storages to avoid losses

HERAT CITY (Pajhwok): A number of farmers in western Herat province express concern about the lack of standard cold storages to preserve their products and ask the government to construct the facilities.

The farmers say agricultural products are mostly produced in summer when they easily perish, so farmers have to sell their products at low prices due to lack of export and storage facilities. They say if agricultural products are preserved for winter, their prices would in increase.

If the government builds cold storages, it will enable farmers to supply their agricultural products in all seasons of the year at reasonable and controlled prices.

One of the farmers, Haji Juma Gul, told Pajhwok Afghan News that he used to grow apples, grapes, peaches, potatoes, tomatoes and other vegetables, but he could not preserve them to other seasons and had sell them at low prices.

He said cold storages would benefit farmers who currently suffered financial losses in their absence.

Haji Mehr Gull, another grower, said farmers grew onion, potatoes, garlic and other vegetable only in one season of the year and bought the same during the three other seasons.

He said Herat was an agricultural province where different crops were grown. He said growers should be encouraged and supported by construction of standard cold storages so they could supply their products on time to the markets.

“Cold storages are needed in most of parts of Herat”, he said.

Agricultural officials say Afghanistan is an agricultural country and the government is paying serious attention to the sector especially to the wellbeing of farmers.

An expert on agricultural issues, Abdul Wahid Sadiqi, told Pajhwok that cold storages played an important role in preservation of agricultural products.

“If the government builds such facilities for farmers to preserve their harvests, many farmers' needs will be met and their products will be sold at a reasonable price in all four seasons of the year.”

Provincial Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation department officials say they have taken measures to meet farmers’ need and have reactivated a cold storage facility.

Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation director Maulvi Pir Mohammad Halimi told Pajhwok their department had reactivated an inactive cold storage while another one had been built by a humanitarian organization.

The cold storage has the capacity to store only 200 metric tonnes of vegetables and it needs alternating current (AC) because the solar panels cannot run its air-conditioners.

Halimi said the agriculture department was trying to build more cold storages in Herat and use every possible option to support farmers.

Herat produces different types of vegetables and fruits which need preservation and the available cold storage has the capacity of storing 200 metric tonnes of fresh products.

aw/ma