Afghanistan Times
Related Articles
AT-KABUL: Ministry of Agriculture Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) on Sunday said that it will construct 12 cold stocks in order to support farmers for further income across the country.
Construction of stocks with freezer is the top agenda for the MAIL in order to protect fruits and vegetables and help formers for better incomes. The ministry plan to build 12 cold warehouses in different provinces in coming year, where each will has capacity of 500 tons reservation.
Spokesman for MAIL Akbar Rustami said that “in order to support horticulture sector and avoid of spoiling of fruits and vegetables the ministry plan to build cold warehouses in coming year.”
Speaking at a press conference here, he said that unfortunately less attention paid in construction of cold stocks in the country.
He said that Mail had started construction of eight cold warehouses with reservation of 5000 tons in Kabul, Herat, Balkh, Nangarhar, Kandahar and Kunduz provinces in 1392 solar year, but due to neglects and some other issues this contract has been canceled earlier.
He stated that cold stocks are needed, so the MAIL works over design of the eight stocks to restart their construction.
He elaborated that the aforementioned 12 new cold warehouses with the capacity of 500 tons will be built in Ghazni, Parwan, Kapisa, Takhar, Farah, Nimroz, Maidan Wardak, Logar, Faryab and Paktia provinces.
Contracts of the cold stocks have been put on open bedding and the provinces were selected because they are good fruit producers.
MAIL has planned to complete all mentioned cold stocks with one next year, which totally will cost $65 million, he added.
By completion of mentioned cold warehouses Afghanistan fruits and vegetables will be avoided of spoiling and it would cause decrease in import of fruit from abroad to Afghanistan, he asserted.
He said that Afghanistan fruit during producing season export to abroad with low price, but import back during winter with high prices, so the only way to control this issue is construction of cold stocks in the country.
