Herat Farmers Complain About Poor Market Conditions Despite Good Harvest
A number of farmers in Herat province say that although this year’s agricultural products have grown well in both quantity and quality, the market for selling these products is unsatisfactory, forcing them to sell their crops at low prices.
According to the farmers, the lack of standard cold storage facilities for preserving seasonal products, the absence of means for transportation and export outside the country, and the weak economic situation of Herat’s residents are the main factors contributing to the market downturn. These problems have caused products to enter the market in a short time and at low prices.
In the Injil district, farmers express satisfaction with their autumn harvests, especially carrots, stating that their lands have been fertile this year; however, the absence of cold storage and appropriate markets has forced them to sell their products at insignificant prices.
In the Zindajan district, a farmer has preserved part of his watermelon crop using traditional methods to sell it around Yalda night, but he also has doubts about the market situation and the purchasing power of the people.
Several other Herat farmers say that the reduced economic capacity of the people, lack of standard cold storage, high prices of chemical fertilizers and seeds, and limited access to irrigation water are fundamental challenges for this sector—challenges for which, according to them, the Taliban administration has not yet offered any sustainable or practical solutions.
