Poppy Substitute: Kandahar Farmers Satisfied With Mushroom Yield

KANDAHAR CITY (Pajhwok): The Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock Department says mushroom farms have been established for dozens of farmers in the Khakrez district of southern Kandahar province as an alternative to poppy cultivation.
Several farmers described the initiative as beneficial and voiced satisfaction with the yields.

Mohammad Hanif Haqmal, spokesman for the agriculture department, told Pajhwok Afghan News that with financial support from the Dutch Committee for Afghanistan (DCA), mushroom seeds had been distributed to around 30 farmers, and the results had been very promising so far.

He said the project consumed around 20,000 US dollars and one kilogram of mushrooms fetched 350 afghanis and each kilogram of seed produced 10 kilograms of mushrooms.

He explained that the aim was to introduce profitable and climate-appropriate crops for farmers in place of poppy.
He added:“These mushroom farms have been established with financial support of DCA. The aim is to provide farmers with productive crops that match the climate and offer a viable alternative to poppy cultivation.”

Sibghatullah Khadem, a mushroom farmer, highlighted the advantages and feasibility of the crop, saying its input cost was low while the yield was high.
He said:“Although this crop is new for us, it is a good alternative to poppy crop. The costs are low, the yield is high, it requires neither much land nor much water, and the harvest is ready within one month.”

Mir Hamza, another mushroom farmer, spoke about his hopes of expanding this type of cultivation.
He said:“We are trying to learn new agricultural methods and further increase mushroom production. This crop is a useful alternative for us within the agricultural sector.”

Abdul Hadi Dawoodzai, a local representative of DCA, said they aimed to help farmers achieve better yields at lower costs in order to improve their economic situation.
He said:“For the first time, we have established mushroom farms for 30 families in Khakrez district and provided all necessary equipment. The goal is to enable families to independently produce this crop and supply it to the local market, thereby improving their economic conditions.”

Following the ban on poppy cultivation for farmers in Kandahar province, the Agriculture Department has introduced new crops-such as figs, saffron, mushrooms, and amlok and pistachio orchards-as profitable alternatives.

kk/ma

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