Afghanistan: Farmers fear drop in crop yield in drought-prone areas

Kabul: Some farmers in different provinces of Afghanistan have raised concerns over drought and are not getting the desired yield from their crops, TOLO News reported. Farmers said they fear a fall in their crops like in previous years in regions that are vulnerable to drought.
Officials from the Taliban-led Agriculture and Irrigation Ministry have expressed hope that farmers will get rid of drought after the recent rains in Afghanistan, as per the news report. Misbahuhddin Mustaeen, a spokesman for the Taliban-led ministry said that they have prepared for an emergency situation due to drought in Afghanistan.
"Droughts are increasing worldwide, but after recent rains in the country, it gave us hope that we would be less vulnerable to this compared to the past," TOLO News quoted Musbahuhddin Mustaeen as saying.
Meanwhile, Astashan, a farmer, said wells have been drying up for the past two years and they have not received any help. Ghulam Ali, a farmer called last year's drought "too much" and added that they were unable to irrigate their land even after 25 days.
"Neither from the dam nor from the sea, there is no water for us. Wells have been drying for the past two years, and we are vulnerable. Nobody is helping us," TOLO News quoted Astashan as saying.
The Taliban-led Chamber of Agriculture and Irrigation has termed the lack of water management in recent years as one of the reasons for the increase in drought in Afghanistan. Merwis Haji Zada, deputy of the Chamber of Agriculture and Irrigation, said Afghanistan will not face drought if Qosh Tepa Canal, Kamal Khan Dam, and Kunar Water Canal are built according to standards.
According to the chamber's information, Afghanistan receives up to 80 billion cubic meters of water annually from rain and snowfall and its annual usage of water reaches 25 billion cubic meters, according to TOLO News report.
Earlier in March, Afghanistan sought help from the United Nations (UN) amid rising concerns about drought in the war-stricken country, asking the UN to provide storage facilities for wheat, TOLOnews reported.
As per the news report, the Taliban-led Chamber of Agriculture and Livestock has urged the UN to help Afghanistan regarding the same and said that it will in turn help the war-torn nation boost its economy. (ANI)