Strawberries, the New Interest of Afghan Farmers
Strawberry is almost a new fruit in the Afghan market. It has such a special nutritional and economic value. Strawberries are grown in two ways: greenhouses and outdoors, and according to the ground conditions and climatic factors of the Afghanistan environment, most farmers grow this crop in greenhouses. The cultivation of strawberry is a lucrative economic resource and has recently been promoted in Afghanistan for several years with an ever growing increase in the areas where it’s cultivated in the country.
Strawberry cultivation has an environmental adaptation with the soil of Afghanistan and is currently thriving in the country due to the favorable climate and the interest of farmers. The largest strawberry farms are in Herat province and the area under cultivation exceeds one hundred acres. It is also worth mentioning that Kunduz and Balkh provinces also have some of the highest production rates in this field.
The cultivation of strawberry is also promoted in Faryab, Daykundi, Sar-e-Pul, Maidan Wardak and other provinces of the country. Last year, strawberry was planted on 62 hectares of land across the country and this generated a very good income for Afghan farmers. Statistics from the Statistics and Information Department of the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock show that in 1399 Hijri Shamsi (2020/2021), 299 metric tons of strawberry have been produced in the country. With the increase in strawberry production in Afghanistan, the country's market demand is becoming less and less dependent to the imports, and the annual increase in the cultivation of this crop will increase the interest of farmers in growing it even more, leading to stability and income generation for our farmers and the Afghan economy as a whole.