Due to drought, the pomegranate harvest in Kandahar has decreased by 10 percent.
In the Shatoro village of Arghandab district, local workers are collecting this year’s pomegranate yield. Farmers say their harvest has declined because of the drought, but they emphasize the need to find international markets for the existing produce.
Farmer Gulab Shah said: “Our pomegranates are sent to Lahore and Karachi. We package them in three categories—two types for domestic markets and one premium type for export.”
Another farmer, Agha Shirin, added: “Arghandab pomegranates are famous worldwide, but this year our harvest has declined due to water shortages. For the remaining produce, markets must be found.”
The head of the Arghandab Farmers’ Association, Abdul Manan Arghandabi, shared his view: “The Islamic Emirate should reestablish contracts with foreign countries like Russia and India so that we can export our pomegranates there. At the same time, facilities should be provided for setting up juice-processing factories.”
Every year, Kandahar produces 270,000 metric tons of pomegranates. So far, only 8,442 tons have been exported to India and Pakistan.
Officials at Kandahar’s Chamber of Commerce and Investment say they hope to increase exports to foreign countries by the end of this year.
Deputy head of the Chamber, Abdul Baqi Bina, said: “Despite road blockages, this year we have already exported 8,442 metric tons of pomegranates from Kandahar to India and Pakistan, earlier than in previous years—and we are still in the process of exporting more.”
In Kandahar’s districts of Arghandab, Shah Wali Kot, Arghistan, Panjwai, and Zhari, pomegranate orchards cover 20,000 hectares of land. Because of the drought, this year’s harvest has fallen by 10 percent compared to last year.
