PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Marie K. Thompson
DATE: August 16, 2002
Toward
a Greener Future in Afghanistan
Mangoes, Cherries and Nuts Return to the Marketplace
 “The
Afghan farmers have returned to their fields,” says Dr. Amit H.
Roy, IFDC’s President and Chief Executive Officer, regarding the
impressions he gained while visiting Afghanistan recently. “They
are pruning their grape vines and applying fertilizer. Everyday we
bought mangoes, cherries and nuts in Kabul’s open markets.”
IFDC—An
International Center for Soil Fertility and Agricultural
Development—has been working in Afghanistan for the past 4 months,
helping that country rebuild its agriculture sector.
As recently reported by the United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO), significant increases in the
production of wheat and other grains—key staples of the Afghan
diet—have been realized recently.
In fact, FAO estimates that total domestic production for the
current harvest is 3.6 million tons, about 80% higher than that of
2001.
IFDC’s
President, during his recent visit, saw evidence of progress being
made to jump-start the agriculture sector.
“In a very short period of time, many private entrepreneurs
are now busy in the marketplace, marketing seeds, agricultural
machinery, fertilizers, and other inputs to the Afghan farmers,”
Roy says. “It
was extremely encouraging to witness the briskness evident in the
business climate.”
After
coordinating the distribution of 3,100 mt of urea fertilizer to more
than 60,000 poor Afghan farmers in six priority provinces for use on
spring wheat, IFDC is pleased that these farmers now have more food
to put on their tables.
In fact, these farmers have harvested about 3,250 kg/ha of
spring wheat, compared with 1,170 kg/ha in 2001.
“We at IFDC
are pleased to be playing a role in getting the needy farmers of
Afghanistan back on their feet,” says Roy.
“The fertilizer dealers who are distributing the fertilizer
to the farmers are happy to have guidance in the inputs sector.”
IFDC realizes
that despite the initial progress, cereal production still does not
fully satisfy Afghanistan’s needs.
To this end, IFDC has developed plans to help Afghanistan
further increase its food production.
In the months ahead, IFDC will be coordinating the
distribution of more fertilizers to complement the seeds to be
distributed by the International Center for Agricultural Research in
the Dry Areas (ICARDA) and used to produce Afghanistan’s fall
wheat, which represents 90% of the country’s wheat production.
Judging from the
bumper-to-bumper traffic in Kabul, compared with no more than 10
cars in the streets during the Taliban regime, we can expect even
greater progress as the entrepreneurial spirit intensifies.
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