Afghanistan- Pistachio Yield Slumps by 76pc in Samangan

(MENAFN- Daily Outlook Afghanistan) AIBAK- The pistachio yield has decreased by 76 percent in northern Samangan provincethis year, local officials said on Sunday.
MohammadRahman Arghandiwal, the director of agriculture, told Pajhwok Afghan News asurvey by his department showed four percent of pistachio trees had producedthe fruit in 2019, compared with 17 percent in the previous year.
Hecited a lack of rain at the cultivation time and climate change as majorfactors behind the falling pistachio yield.
Heinformed 42 hectares of pistachio forests existed in the provincial capital andin Hazrat Sultan, Feroz Nakhchir and Dara-i-Bala districts.
Theagriculture department has tasked individuals with harvesting pistachioforests. The harvest takes place at a specific time.
Arghandiwalsaid Samangan residents had collected more than 212 tonnes of pistachio fromnatural forests and earned 265 million afghanis last year.
Butthey could not collect this big an amount this year, the agriculture directoradded. (Pajhwok)

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