HELMAND (SW) – An important source of income for many in Helmand is agriculture and livestock, which is witnessing a boom these days.
Some of the owners of these farms say that although the farms are simple and old-fashioned; But in these farms, 60 to 80 cows are kept for milk production. They added that their work is profitable and that many people have the opportunity to work.
“Cows are very profitable. When we buy a cow, after a while it pays a profit equal to one and a half times of the original price,” said Mohammad Wali, one of the owners of the farms. “One should not be ashamed of one’s work, it is lawful and useful.”
“The price of a good cow starts at 150,000 rupees and goes up to 800,000 rupees,” said Juma Khan, another owner of the farms. “The cows that we raise are worth 400,000 to 450,000 rupees now, and there are cows that are worth 600,000 rupees. Such cows milk from one to six gallons of milk.”
According to them, if the government cooperates with them, each farm can supply hundreds of liters of fresh milk to the market daily.
Dr. Wali Mohammad, director of animal health at Helmand’s Department of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, told Salamu Watandar that state-owned livestock farms had been destroyed as a result of past wars; but lately, a large number of people have started raising cattle.
He added that 73 cattle farms have been registered with the department and that there may be a large number of unregistered farms in different areas.
“We have created a union for livestock farms, which acts as a bridge between the government and the farm owners,” he said. “73 livestock farms are registered with us and our survey is still ongoing. There are also farms in the districts that have not been registered yet.”
It is worth mentioning that in Helmand, in addition to livestock farms, other farms are also emerging.
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