Strawberry harvests increase in Nangarhar

KABUL (Agencies): Nangarhar officials said 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.