INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
More areas of land have been cultivated with cotton in southern Helmand province after the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) imposed a
ban on poppy cultivation.Last year, a total of 13,174 hectares of land were cultivated with cotton, but this year it has increased to 15,730
hectares, according to local officials.Pests and drought, however, have affected cotton harvest this year.This year, 15,370 hectares of
agricultural land were cultivated with cotton, which is higher than last year; but this this year&s harvest is lower due to pests and
drought,& said Mohammad Nasim Muslim, promotion manager of the provincial directorate of agriculture, irrigation and livestock.Local
residents also said that cotton price and demand are good this year, but pests and drought have affected cotton harvest.This year, there is
no poppy that is why more cotton has been cultivated
Cotton has good price and market, but farmers may not cover their expenses because harvest is low this year,& said Mohammad Hussain, a local
resident.There are 35 cotton processing factories in Helmand.If these factories process the entire cotton harvest of this year, we could
supply three provinces with oil, eight provinces with cottonseed meal and 10 provinces with soaps,& said Ghulam Yahya Pakhtun, head of
Helmand Chamber of Commerce.The post Cotton cultivation increases in Helmand after poppy ban first appeared on Ariana News.
