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.