AYBAK, Afghanistan, Aug 22 (NNN-ANA) – Pistachio yield in northern Samangan province, reached 210 tonNEs this year, increasing three folds, year on year, an official said yesterday.
Abdul Ghafoor Karimi, an official with the provincial department of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, said that, this year’s pistachio nuts are ripe enough to sell at 1,300 afghanis (14.61 U.S. dollars) for one kg, while last year’s mostly unripe nuts were sold at less than 1,000 afghanis per kg.
Farmers’ income from selling pistachio nuts is estimated to exceed 276 million afghanis this year, while the figure was 70 million afghanis last year, the official said.
Samangan province is the second largest producer of pistachio, after Badghis province, in the war-torn country, whose economy largely relies on foreign aid and agricultural products.
Pistachio, pine nuts, and fresh and dry fruits are popular items among Afghanistan’s exports. (1 U.S. dollar equals 89 afghanis)– NNN-ANA
