Business
Strawberry cultivation increases in Herat
Herat’s Department of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock says that due to favorable weather conditions and the interest of farmers, the cultivation of strawberries in this province has flourished and that currently over 100 hectares is being used to grow this popular fruit.
Bashir Ahmad Ahmadi, acting head of Herat’s agriculture department, said that with the increase in cultivated areas, it is expected that the strawberry yield in the province will exceed 150 metric tons this year.
Ahmadi says that strawberries are grown in both greenhouses and outdoors, but many farmers are now growing them in greenhouses.
Herate currently has the most strawberry farms in the country.
Strawberries, which are a good source of Vitamin C, are a sought after fruit among Afghans and currently sell for between 100 and 120 Afghanis per kilogram on local markets.
“Our production is growing every year, and this has made me more interested in increasing the cultivation of this crop,” said Reza Dehqan, head of the Paliz Sabz strawberry farm in Herat.
Dehqan has cultivated 20 hectares of land in two ways, greenhouses and open fields, and has created job opportunities for 30 people, many of whom are women.
Dehqan owns one of the largest strawberry farms in the country, from which 37% of Herat strawberries are obtained.
He said that in addition to Herat, he sells his strawberries in Nimroz, Ghazni, Farah, Kandahar and Badghis provinces. Interest in strawberries has in turn grown in these provinces, he said.
This sector has also meanwhile attracted women and most strawberry farms in Herat employ them.
“We are ten women harvesting and packing in this greenhouse, which has improved our living conditions,” said Maryam, who works on a strawberry farm in Enjil district.
“Strawberries are a lucrative crop,” says Zarghoneh, another farmer.
Business
Talks with neighboring countries underway for fresh fruit exports: Azizi
Acting Minister of Industry and Commerce Nooruddin Azizi has said that talks with neighboring countries have started for the export of fresh fruit this year.
Azizi added that the Ministry of Industry and Commerce wants the country’s fresh fruit to be exported to Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Iran in addition to Pakistan.
Members of the private sector call on the Ministry of Industry and Commerce to step up efforts to find new markets for Afghan exporters.
“We ask the authorities to determine the export routes before the harvesting season. We should find new markets instead of Pakistan. There is capacity for Afghanistan’s exports in the region, and action should be taken in this regard,” said Mirwais Hajizada, the deputy of Chamber of Agriculture and Livestock.
Economic experts say that the Ministry of Industry and Commerce should hold talks with Iran and Uzbekistan in addition to Pakistan for Afghanistan’s exports.
“There are many opportunities to sell our products in markets other than Pakistan. I hope the authorities will think about this. Grounds should be paved to access the markets of South Asia and the Gulf countries through Iran, and the markets of Central Asia through Uzbekistan,” said Mohammad Nabi Afghan, an economic expert.
Members of the private sector say that although Pakistan is the closest and largest market for Afghanistan’s dry and fresh fruits, doing business with it has always been challenging.
Business
Pakistan, Uzbekistan reaffirm commitment over rail project
Pakistan and Uzbekistan on Wednesday reaffirmed their commitment to early implementation of the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan Railways project which will boost trade within the region.
In a statement issued by Pakistan’s foreign office after a meeting in Islamabad between visiting Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan Bakhtiyor Saidov and Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar, the project “would give boost to bilateral and regional trade and become a bridge between South and Central Asia.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also met with Saidov and emphasized the importance of the railway project and Pakistan’s commitment to its early completion.
Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan had in February 2021 agreed to build a railway line across Afghanistan to connect Central Asia with Pakistani ports at an estimated cost of $4.8bn.
The railway project, spanning 760 kms, is scheduled for completion by the end of 2027, with the capability to transport up to 15 million tonnes of goods annually by 2030.
This rail link will notably decrease cargo delivery time between Uzbekistan and Pakistan by around five days, while also slashing transportation costs by at least 40 percent.
Business
Tatarstan businessmen keen to invest in Afghanistan’s oil and gas sector
The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum says that the head of the ministry has met with a number of visiting businessmen and representatives of oil and gas processing companies from the Republic of Tatarstan.
The ministry said at the recent meeting, the visiting businessmen outlined their experience and work in the field of oil and gas extraction and processing.
In a post on X, the ministry quoted the Tatarstan group as having acknowledged an “orderly system” in Afghanistan with complete security and favorable grounds to invest.
The visitors said at the meeting their companies are considering the possibility of investing in the survey, exploration and extraction processes of oil and gas in the country, as well as the refinement stage.
Shahabuddin Delawer, Acting Minister of Mines and Petroleum, welcomed the group’s enthusiasm and said “fortunately, Afghanistan has rich oil and gas resources in various areas,” adding that currently agreements are being drawn up regarding Herat’s oil and gas blocks – something which Tatarstan businessmen could invest in.
Delaware said that the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum is ready to cooperate in accordance with the relevant laws in order to facilitate investment.
Tatarstan, officially the Republic of Tatarstan, is a republic of Russia located in Eastern Europe.
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