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MAZAR-E-SHARIF, Afghanistan - Afghan ministry officials, international assistance organizations and ISAF members visited a local cold-storage facility to assess its operations and determine how it could better serve the Afghan people.
USAID funded and executed this $1 million dollar project which was built as part of the Accelerating Sustainable Agriculture Program.
This program aims to construct more development centric projects, and the cold storage facility is scheduled to open on Dec. 15.
The facility is used to keep local farmers’ produce cool and out of the elements until it is ready to be sold. Without such a place, exposure to insects, heat, and time could spoil or damage a farmer’s produce before it ever gets to market. Losing crops for most farmers in Afghanistan means losing their livelihood.
“We have been talking to groups of farmers and they are all keen to use the facility and they are very interested in bringing their products,” said Fawad Azimi, ASAP Program Manager for Regional Command North. “This location is about four kilometers from local farms. The railway station is only 500 km from here, and the airport is only a kilometer away. There are many possibilities for farmers to transport their goods from here.”
The facility can hold up to 70 metric tons of produce and is available to any farmer in the area who wants to rent a space.
More than 100 farmers are already waiting for the facility to open to store their goods for up to three months. Using this facility will keep their produce from spoiling and give farmers a better chance at exporting them.
“We have an export program in place for the farmers,” said Azimi. “There are already Afghan fresh fruits sold internationally. There is a high market demand for Afghan fruits in places like India, Dubai and Europe.”
A packing facility will soon be built near the storage facility, which in conjunction with the storage facility will bring more than 50 jobs to local Afghans.
| Date Taken: | 12.04.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 12.09.2010 02:34 |
| Story ID: | 61606 |
| Location: | KABUL INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, AF |
| Web Views: | 14 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Produce Storage Facility Assists Afghan Farmers, by SSG Michael Reinsch, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
