Afghanistan rice produce increases – MAIL

The Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock (MAIL) says that rice cultivation has increased in eighteen provinces of Afghanistan.

The ministry says rice production in Afghanistan has increased by 9 percent over the last year. The ministry stresses that this year, 383,000 metric tons of rice were produced in eighteen provinces. However, Afghanistan needs about 588,000 metric tons of rice annually.

Officials say that Afghanistan still needs to import 205,000 metric tons of rice annually from outside. Akbar Rustami, the spokesperson of MAIL said that rice was cultivated in 18 provinces and 98 districts of the country this year.

Most of the produced rice is from Kunduz province which accounts for 30 – 35% of the total of rice this year. He added that MAIL is working to increase rice production in the country. The Afghanistan Chamber of Agriculture and Livestock say that they will import some high-yielding rice seed to make Afghanistan self-sufficient in the production of rice in the next 3 years.

Economists also want MAIL to support the private sector in developing rice cultivation all over the country and change Afghanistan an importing to a rice exporting country. Presently, Afghanistan imports some $65 million worth rice from other countries.