HERAT CITY (Pajhwok): A cold storage facility for fruits and meat has been built and inaugurated in Guzara district of western Herat province at a cost of $1.5 million.
Jamshid Kamal, head of the Kamal Herat Cold Storage Facility, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the facility was built to standard on 4,000 square metres of land within six months and its capacity could be expanded if needed.
He said the facility has the capacity to store 3,000 tonnes of fruits and meat.
The monthly cost of storing fresh fruit ranges from two to 10 afghanis per kilogramme, depending on the type of product and the duration of storage.
A fruit grower in Guzara district, Mohammad, welcomed the construction of the facility, saying that increased cold-storage capacity would allow farmers to preserve their produce for longer periods and supply it to markets throughout the year.
He urged officials of the Herat Department of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock to facilitate greater investment in cold-storage facilities in Herat and other provinces to support the development of such infrastructure and ensure the proper storage of agricultural products.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Yousuf Amin, executive director of the Herat Chamber of Commerce and Investment, said infrastructure for storing agricultural products, particularly cold-storage facilities, was important for supporting producers and strengthening the domestic market.
Herat is one of Afghanistan’s major fruit and vegetable-producing provinces, with significant quantities of horticultural and agricultural products produced there every year.
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