Snowfall boosts higher harvest hopes

GHAZNI CITY (Pajhwok): Agriculture officials in southern Ghazni province hope enough irrigation water will be available next season in the wake of heavy snowfall this winter.
Mountainous areas received up to one metre of snow, with 50 centimetres of snow falling in deserts and low-lying localities, officials say.
As drought-like conditions continue in many provinces of the country, officials are optimistic of abundant irrigation water availability in Ghazni next season.
Noorullah, a farmer from Khwaja Omari district, told Pajhwok Afghan News there had been heavy snowfall over the last few days. He hopes the snowfall will continue in the days to come.
The snowfall contributed to boosting underground water sources and killed harmful insects in fields, Noorullah said.
Rains or snowfall not only enriched water sources but also benefited livestock and pastures, he explained.
Khair Mohammad, another farmer from Khogyani district, said growers were happy with the snowfall. They expect a better harvest.
Following the heavy snowfall, farmers would have plenty of water for irritating their farms next year, Mohammad maintained.
Provincial agricultural officials agree the snowfall would end drought on the one hand and give a new lease of life to farmlands on the other.
Agriculture Director Maulvi Abdul Manan Akram said Khwaja Omari, Khogyani, Zana Khan, Andar, Giro, Qara Bagh, Aab Band, Maqur and Gilan districts had received half a meter of snowfall.
In Jaghori, Aristan, Malistan, Jaghato and Nawar districts, he reckoned, one metre of snow had fallen.
The snowfall was enough to feed water sources, filled dams and flowed into rivers, Akram added.
If the snowfall continued till the winter’s end, drought would end and farmers reap a good harvest, he predicted.
About 80 percent of Ghazni residents, like their compatriots in other provinces, are reliant on farming and raising livestock.