Kandahar pomegranate growers grapple with drought, price slump, lack of export barriers — Pajhwok

KANDAHAR CITY (Pajhwok): Pomegranate production in southern Kandahar province is expected to decline this year, while water shortages, falling prices and limited access to foreign markets are causing financial losses for growers. Mohammad Hanif Haqmal, spokesman for the provincial Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock Department, told Pajhwok Afghan News that pomegranate orchards covered nearly 15,000 hectares across the province’s districts. Around 220,000 tonnes of pomegranates are expected to be harvested this year, compared with an estimated 275,000 tonnes in 2025. He said drought had adversely affected pomegranate orchards across Kandahar, although the extent of the damage varied from district to district. Growers in Arghistan had been hit hardest, with some forced to abandon their orchards because of water shortages. “This year, pomegranate orchards have suffered 30 per cent damage, with the worst impact in Arghistan. However, production in Arghandab and some other districts remains relatively good, as drought has had less impact there,” he said. Mirza Mohammad, a pomegranate grower in Arghandab district, said water shortages had not been such a serious problem in the past. However, declining groundwater levels had made irrigating orchards more difficult and expensive. “We used to have water. Even when our pomegranates were damaged, we did not suffer heavy losses. Now, groundwater levels have fallen considerably, and pumping water from deep underground costs money. Meanwhile, pomegranates…