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KABUL: Afghanistan will soon be sefl-sufficient in rice production as Ministry of Agriculture Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) on Monday said they have reached around 66 percent self-sufficiency in regrd.
MAIL Spokesman, Akbar Rustami said a survey has been conducted by MAIL in joint venture with the Statistic and Information General Directorate, through “Paddy Crop Cut Survey” method, that has showed rice cultivated in 98 districts of 18 provinces this year.
Rice farm has been increased to 128,000 hectares of land this year as it was 116,000 hectares last year, he added.
Rice forms were located in Takhar, Baghlan, Nangarhar, Balkh, Kunar, Sar-e-Pul, Badakhshan, Bamyan, Ghor, Daykundi, Urzgan, Herat, Badghis, Laghman, Kabul, Khost, and Paktia, where the Kunduz is at the lead in the aspect, he added.
He said that the rice forms have been increased by nine percent as comparing to the last year.
Enough water for irrigation for farms have also considered as main factor behind increasing of acres of rice farms, he noted.
He elaborated that construction of water networks, distributing of improved seeds and creating of probationary farms as well as training programs for farmers were other reason behind the progress.
“This year 383,000 tons of rice produced in the country, where it was 352,000 tons last year.”
Afghanistan need to 588,000 tons of rice each year, where by producing 383,000 tons of rice, the country reached to around 66 percent to self-reliance in this field, he mentioned.
He highlighted that following nine percent up in rice production, rice import has been decreased around 180,000 tons (at value of $28 million) in three first quarter of the current year.
