MoAL concerns over livestock situation in country

Afghanistan Ministry of Agriculture and livestock (MoAL) is said to consider the current situation of livestock in the country alarming.

Minister of agriculture says that negligence to the situation of agriculture caused that nearly $ 2 billion animal products to import to the country annually.

“There are many problems in agriculture sector. While we have great conditions, around $ 2 billion products import to the country yearly,” said Asadullah Zamir, minister of agriculture.

In the meantime, a member of Parliament says that there were no investment in agriculture sector in the past 14 years.

“The situation of Kuchis should be great if we want to witness changes in agriculture sector,” said Tarakhail Kochi, member of parliament.

Only a very small share of Afghanistan’s land (about 15 percent), mostly in scattered valleys, is suitable for farming; about 6 percent of the land is actually cultivated. At least two-thirds of this farmland requires irrigation.

Water is drawn from springs and rivers and is distributed through surface ditches and through underground channels, or tunnels, which are excavated and maintained by a series of vertical shafts.

Livestock is nearly as important as crops to Afghanistan’s economy. However, the country is a major supplier in the international drug trade. It is the second-largest opium producer after Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), with 950 metric tons produced in 1994. Afghanistan also produces significant quantities of hashish.