Climate Change
Climate change impacting Kandahar’s grape yield
However Kandahar’s department of agriculture, irrigation and livestock has acknowledged the problem and said officials will cooperate with the farmers.
Unseasonal rains in Kandahar province have led to major losses for grape farmers in the province, who say they have experienced up to a 15% decrease in grapes this year.
Farmers say unseasonal rain due to climate change has caused this problem.
One grape farmer, Syed Ahmad, says he has 14 acres of land with about 30,000 grape vines. Because of the unseasonal rain, his crops were damaged.
Other farmers in Kandahar have also reported damaged crops and say the lack of export markets for their produce has also led to losses for them as their produce is being sold cheaply on local markets only.
However Kandahar’s department of agriculture, irrigation and livestock has acknowledged the problem and said officials will cooperate with the farmers.
According to the officials, about 19,500 metric tons of grapes will be obtained from 20,500 hectares of vineyards this year, which shows a 10-15% decrease compared to last year.
According to official data, 60% of the people in Kandahar are engaged in farming and raising livestock.
