Turkish PRT helps agricultural development in Afghanistan

As a start to the project, a model farm has been established in Maidan Shahr, the center of the province. Adaptation and demonstration trials will be conducted on the farm, with the ultimate aim of promoting saffron as an alternative income-yielding crop in the province. The results of the research will be disseminated through the Wardak Department of Agriculture to local farmers and entrepreneurs.

In spite of saffron's suitability as a crop in Afghanistan, the spice is new to the country and both the production and marketing have had to start almost from scratch.

A handful of Afghan farmers who spent some time in Iran as refugees were the first to plant the crop when they came back to their homes in the western part of Afghanistan. So far, particularly in the province of Herat, saffron cultivation has been successful.

1) Cold storage in Saydabad, 2) Agriculture Vocational High School in Maidan Shahr

Cüneyt Yavuzcan, the head of the Turkish PRT, has argued that saffron could be a boon to Afghanistan's agricultural export industry if it is properly managed. There is demand for saffron within Afghanistan, but the market elsewhere is much greater and export potential is considerable in India, Dubai, Europe and the United States. Because the product is light and has a high value per kilo, it can be transported easily and economically from villages to towns and then by air to these destinations, Yavuzcan noted. Saffron, also called “red gold,” is a highly priced spice used in cooking for its color and delicate flavoring. It is seen as an excellent potential income source for small- and medium-scale farmers.

“Today the agriculture sector only accounts for 35.5 percent of Afghanistan's GDP [gross domestic product], despite the fact that about 80 percent of the Afghan population is directly or indirectly involved in the agriculture and livestock sectors and lives mainly in rural areas. Developing the agricultural sector will improve food security; increase agricultural productivity and rural employment; improve family incomes and well-being; reduce pressures on the poor to grow illicit crops; and increase the export of agricultural products in Afghanistan. Therefore, a vibrant and growing agriculture sector is essential to ensure that the benefits of economic development are spread throughout the country and reach the bulk of the Afghan population. The strategic objective should be to attract private sector investments to transform agriculture into a high-value commercial sector which will be a source for growth and lead to an expansion in terms of livelihood. A coordinated agricultural and rural development program aimed at poverty reduction and the provision of alternative livelihoods should be implemented,” Yavuzcan explained.

The Turkish PRT has so far completed many successful agricultural development projects in Wardak. An agricultural vocational high school was established last year in Maidan Shahr. The PRT constructed and equipped two cold storage facilities in the districts of Maidan Shahr and Saidabad, with capacities of 500 tons and 1000 tons respectively. Water availability and irrigation related projects, such as digging wells and building water storage facilities, have been implemented. Fruit drying projects are ongoing in the Narh and Chak districts in order to establish a self-sufficient, community-based initiative to dry locally-grown fruit for export. The PRT has also organized numerous agricultural training courses, both in Wardak and in Turkey. A veterinary clinic has been built and supplied with the necessary equipment in Maidan Shahr by the PRT as well.

The PRT also led the foundation of the Wardak Union of Farmers and Gardeners, essentially to help the apple producers in the province to unite and grow in strength to overcome the pressing issues facing them, such as developing better marketing of their products to increase their incomes.

“Over the long term, the PRT's completed, ongoing and planned projects aim to help rebuild an economy of Wardak -- which is largely dependent on agriculture -- increasing agricultural value-adding, reducing the need for the import of food and linking farmers to markets,” Yavuzcan said.