FARYAB (SW): This winter, weather in most parts of the country has been cold and dry, and until recently there has been no snow and rain.
The drought has severely reduced the level of underground water. Many farmers in Faryab have been discouraged from farming and cultivation. These farmers see low rainfall as a sign of drought in the coming year.
Khair Mohammad, a farmer in Faryab, said rivers dried out due to lack of rain, and if there is no rain in coming days, the result would be troublesome. “The livestock are still kept indoors, and the price of a bag of ‘grass’ has gone up to AFN 1200, the reason for all these is the lingering drought”, he added.
Azizullah, who has recently decided to go to Iran for work quitting trade of livestock, said that he has no hope for the greenery of pastures and plains. He said that due to lack of rain this year, the farmers are worried. “The farmers have not yet harvested and due to drought the price of sheep and goat has dropped from 5000 AFN to 3000 AFN”, Azizullah said.
Mohammad Salim Ranjbar, the head of agriculture and animal husbandry at the directorate of agriculture in Faryab, told Salam Watandar that the lingering drought has compelled the Department of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry in Faryab to ask for help. He added that 1500 tons of wheat has been requested from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock due to drought.
Abdul Wahab Akbari, the head of the Natural Disaster Management Agency in Faryab, said the drought is still a foreseen possibility in Faryab, and if the drought occurs, the NDMA is ready to help the farmers. At a meeting held by the emergency committee of the province, the participating members announced their readiness to help the needy and the victims of the drought, he added.
Faryab province has been processing up to fifty per cent of the country’s total production of raisins, and due to lingering droughts, it is now heavily dependent on reservoirs, however, the government seems to have failed to meet these needs.
ENDS
