Kunduz officials said this week that they expect small-scale farmers will harvest 20 percent more grapes this year compared to last year, taking the total to 10,500 tons from 1,500 hectares of land.The farmers said while they are happy about the increase, they are concerned about the lack of a domestic market due to the bad economy.
They also said they are worried their produce will spoil as they have no cold storage facilities.The grape harvest is good compared to last year, but it has not been sold; there is no market,& said Mohammad Dawood, one grape farmer.Farmers also said that the grapes that are being sold on the domestic market are selling for a lot less this year than last year.The prices were higher last year, but this year they have decreased due to the weak economy of the people,& said Noor Agha, a fruit seller.However, Kunduz department of agriculture officials said they are optimistic about the 20 percent increase in grape harvest and said they have plans to market agricultural produce from Kunduz.We try to prepare more facilities for gardeners to grow their gardens,& said Abdul Ghaffar, head of the department of agriculture and livestock for Kunduz provinceKunduz prides itself in having fertile soil which is well suited to agriculture, which provides income opportunities for locals.The post Kunduz sees grape harvests rise by 20% this year first appeared on Ariana News.