Vegetable cultivation on the rise in Laghman

 JALALABAD (PAN): The cultivation of vegetables in the eastern province of Laghman has been increased over the past few years, an official said on Tuesday.

Laghman farmers are increasingly switching to growing a variety of vegetables, Director of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock Mohammad Ismail Daulatzai said.

During an exclusive interview with Pajhwok Afghan News, he said: “Today, we produce more vegetables compared with other provinces.”

Several truckloads of vegetables were supplied from Laghman to Nangarhar and Kabul on a daily basis, the director added.

The income from half an acre of vegetables worked out at about 50,000 afghanis (nearly id=”mce_marker”,000), a good alternative to poppy cultivation, he said.

“On a trial basis, we have also cultivated saffron, which has been judged to be of the best quality,” Daulatzai claimed. The province’s soybean yield is estimated at 833 kilograms per half acre.

Up to 13,000 hectares of land is cultivated in the province each year with rice, but there is no rice-processing facility in Laghman. The director urged the central government to establish the facility in the province.

myn/mud

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