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Strawberry harvests increase in Nangarhar
Nangarhar officials said Friday that strawberry harvests in the eastern Afghan province have increased to 170 metric tonnes this year.
According to the Nangarhar agriculture department, 300 acres of land is now used for the cultivation of strawberries in the province.
Local farmers meanwhile said they could increase their crops if government helps establish greenhouses.
“We have not received any support from the agriculture department over the past six years,” said Rahim Gul, a farmer in Nangarhar.
“They should provide insecticides, and they should help us in setting up greenhouses. If we have greenhouses, we could produce strawberries during all four seasons.”
Strawberry-sellers have said that there is a big demand for the fruit in the province.
“People like strawberries. It has a good market. They prefer to buy domestically produced strawberries,” said Syed Ali Shah, a strawberry seller.
Zmarai Khan, a strawberry field worker, said: “We could take our strawberries to faraway areas if they (government) support us with the marketing,”
The popular fruit is cultivated in Khogyani, Surkhrod, Dara-e Noor, Pachiragam, Goshta, Kama and Kuz Kunar districts of Nangarhar province, said Ajmal Subhani, a spokesman for provincial agriculture department.
According to him, strawberries could be a good replacement for poppy farmers, which authorities are working to facilitate.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special representative for Afghanistan, has questioned Pakistan’s commitment to the welfare of the Afghan people, citing Islamabad’s policies over the past three decades.
Khalilzad said in a post on X that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif advocated for the rights of Afghan women during his speech at the UN General Assembly on Friday.
Sharif said: “Fundamental rights of the Afghan people — especially women and girls — must be respected.”
Responding to the remarks, Khalilzad said Pakistan’s policies over the past 30 years raise questions about Sharif’s commitment to Afghan welfare.
He cited Pakistan’s support for militant groups against US forces and what he described as the poor treatment of Afghan refugees as examples.
Khalilzad also said Afghanistan and Pakistan need and should have much better relations, adding that “a reset is necessary.”
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met with the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Rabab Fatima, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X that Misri underscored the need to keep addressing the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people as a priority.
Misri also appreciated the role of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and reaffirmed India’s continued cooperation with the United Nations on Afghanistan.
The meeting comes as Afghanistan continues to face humanitarian and economic challenges, with international agencies warning of significant needs among the Afghan population.
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi has called for pragmatic and coordinated international engagement with Afghanistan, saying the country’s long-term stability is closely linked to the security and sustainable development of Central Asia.
Speaking during the general debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday, Tileuberdi said humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan remains essential but alone cannot break the cycle of poverty, displacement and dependency.
He said Kazakhstan supports a “pragmatic, coordinated and step-by-step” approach to international engagement with Afghanistan, with the United Nations playing a central role.
Tileuberdi also said Kazakhstan is working with the UN to operationalize the United Nations Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.
He said the success of the centre should be measured by the results and assistance it delivers to the region.
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