Since the beginning of winter, the problem of food shortages in Afghanistan has become increasingly prominent. When the Afghan general radio reporter visited the countryside in the Chahars Abu district of the Afghan capital Kabul, he found that the local agricultural infrastructure was backward and farmers did not have enough food to survive the winter.
Reporters visit the countryside of Kabul, Afghanistan: The agricultural infrastructure is backward, and the peasants have insufficient food
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The reporter and his party went to the countryside of Kabul and saw that roads were being built. Villagers say the year was preceded by drought, and heavy precipitation triggered flash floods that damaged roads. The local infrastructure for agricultural irrigation is very rudimentary, almost relying on the sky to eat.
This canal is the main way of irrigation for local agriculture, it is a natural stream flowing down from the mountain, even in years with abundant rain, this amount of water can not meet the needs of local agricultural irrigation.
Local farmers told reporters that during the busy season, all farmers will introduce stream water into their fields, the stream is almost exhausted, the whole village will go to the other side of the government to build a water supply point to buy water, water is pumped out of the groundwater, but the price is not cheap.
Ayaz, a farmer in Kabul, Afghanistan: I don't have enough water for irrigation, the rainy season is only 3 months, there is water at that time, if it doesn't rain, there is not enough water, I have to buy water. One pump costs 150 NGUs (about 11 yuan) per hour, requiring 4 pumps and 600 NGRs (about 43 yuan) per hour.
This land is the winter wheat planted by local farmers, and the total output value of their crops in this land is about 70,000 ani every year, equivalent to less than 5,000 yuan, of which more than one-seventh is used for irrigation water.
The vegetation on the mountains around Kabul is not lush and is prone to flash floods. Local villagers worry about running out of water during drought, but at the same time, the slightly heavier precipitation is more worrying about flash floods. This year, Kabul suffered drought and flash floods, and the local grain production was greatly reduced.
Local farmers say they prepare for winter, store crops such as onions and potatoes, and villagers can't eat meat several times a year, with potatoes being the main source of food. With years of war raging and local agricultural development all but stagnant, Ayaz says they desperately need outside help.
Afghanistan's food shortage underscores plans to build agricultural infrastructure and need international assistance
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In response to the problem of food shortage in Afghanistan, the reporter interviewed Misbahudin, spokesman for the Ministry of Agriculture of the Afghan Interim Government, who said that Afghanistan currently needs assistance from international organizations and the Ministry of Agriculture plans to further build agricultural infrastructure.
Misbahudin, spokesperson for the Ministry of Agriculture of the Interim Government of Afghanistan: Now that the Ministry of Agriculture is planning to build some dams, we are trying to contact international aid agencies and they will provide some assistance to achieve our plan.
Affected by the war, agricultural production in Afghanistan has stagnated, livestock owners are mainly stocked, lack of modern, high-tech agricultural facilities, low agricultural and animal husbandry production, and need international assistance every year. Since the beginning of this year, many provinces across Afghanistan have suffered droughts or floods, reduced local crop production, and serious food shortages. But the current withdrawal of large amounts of international organization funds and personnel from Afghanistan has made life even more difficult for locals. Misbahudin expressed the hope that international organizations would return to Afghanistan to continue the project.
The main crops in Afghanistan include wheat, barley, rice and various fruits. Local food production is not self-sufficient and relies on imports from abroad, while local and dried fruits are exported in large quantities. However, at present, the import and export of local crops are hindered. Misbahudin said that the US freeze on overseas funds from the Afghan central bank has made the agricultural situation in Afghanistan worse, brought great crisis to the lives of local people, and made it impossible for the Afghan interim government to carry out agricultural construction.
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(Edited by Yu Ding)