The construction of fifty cold storage facilities for storing raisins, onions, and potatoes has begun in the Ghazni province center and the districts of Andar, Deh Yak, Malistan, and Nawur, at a total cost of $500,000.

These cold storage plants, supported by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), are expected to be completed within the next three months.

Sayed Jan Haidari, the provincial head of the implementing organization, said: “In the center of Ghazni and the districts of Andar and Deh Yak, 30 cold storage plants will be built for raisins, and in Malistan and Nawur districts, 20 cold storages are being constructed for onions and potatoes. The total construction cost amounts to 500,000.”

“These cold storage areas will extend the shelf life of agricultural products and improve their quality. This way, we can compete with neighboring countries and prevent fruit wastage,” said Wahidullah Bakhtri, an agricultural affairs expert.

Meanwhile, some farmers in Ghazni are calling on officials for more support in the preservation and marketing of agricultural products.

“We have orchards and farmlands, but during the harvest season, rain and other natural disasters damage them. If we have cold storage and receive support, we can prevent these losses and increase our income,” said Mohammad Anwar, one of the farmers in Ghazni.

“When our crops are ready, either frost damages them or rain, so we are in dire need of cold storage,” said Mohammad Jan, another farmer in Ghazni.

The Director of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock in Ghazni stated they are supporting farmers in various areas.

Mohammad Ismail Shakib, director of agriculture and irrigation of Ghazni, said: “We are striving to establish a market for Ghazni’s agricultural products within the framework of the Ministry of Agriculture and the private sector, and along with it, build cold storage areas. Because Ghazni’s farmers collect their products with great effort and need a good market.”

Lack of water, natural disasters, and the absence of cold storages are among the major challenges that have led to the spoiling of agricultural products, negatively affecting the income of farmers in this province.