MAIMANA (SW) – A number of producers of sesame oil and linseed oil in Maimana city, the center of Faryab, say that this industry is faced with extinction in this province.
They add that the sesame and linseed oil production industry is one of the long-standing occupations of the residents of Faryab, which has not received any attention from the authorities.
Sufi Samiullah, who has been running a sesame oil factory for 35 years, said that this oil has good nutritional and health properties. But according to him, due to the droughts of the past few years, the pressing plantve has significantly decreased and its price in the market has increased several times.
Samiullah added: “In the past there were only 40 to 50 factories in the first district and 40 to 50 carriers in other villages. Currently, there are eight factories left in all of Faryab, which are also working with many problems. “Only one person out of 100 uses sesame oil,” he said.
The producers of sesame and linseed oil in Faryab added that now the price of one kilogram of this oil in the market is 400 afghanis, and if the government supports the farmers and prevents the export of the plant, one kilogram of sesame and linseed oil will be reduced to 150 afghanis.
However, officials of Faryab’s Department of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, say that consecutive droughts, economic problems of farmers, reduction of plant planting and non-use of sesame and linseed oil by citizens are the main factors of this industry facing stagnation.
Noor Al-Heda Mutawakkel, Deputy Director of Agriculture in Faryab, told Salam Watandar: “Approximately 99% of sesame has not been planted in Faryab this year because there was no snow and rain, and even 1 percent in places where our peasants had well water and irrigated their fields, they got from it.”
Producers of sesame and lineseed oil in Faryab say that before, there were more than 200 factories producing this oil in Maimana city alone, but now, only eight of its factories are active, which is why they only produce 10 kilograms of sesame oil and linseed daily whereas in the past they had a production of 40 kilograms per day.
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