The Department of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock of Herat says that this year, due to the reduction of drought, rice cultivation in this province has increased by 35%.

Based on the statistics of this department, this year more than three thousand hectares of land in Herat were used for growing rice.

Mohammad Nasim Sahar, head of agricultural affairs of the Herat Department of Agriculture and Irrigation, said: "The rice grown in Herat has given good results. This year, because it is an agricultural year, rice cultivation has increased by 35% compared to last year."

Several farmers in Herat say that this year, due to the abundant water of Harirod, they have cultivated more land with rice.

Abdul Rahim, who planted eight acres of land in Herat's Guzara district, hopes to harvest more rice than last year.

Abdul Rahim told TOLOnews: "We are very hopeful this year, and the level of underground water has risen a lot. The river also has water, and compared to the past few years, this year is the best."

According to the farmers, rice cultivation is profitable for them despite its challenges.

Abdul Ghani, a farmer, said: "Last year we harvested about 8400 kg to 8900kg of rice, but this year we will probably harvest 14,000 kg to 16,000 kg of rice. This means we have planted twice as much as last year."

Another farmer, Abdul Qasim, said: "Last year, I planted two acres of rice, but this year we planted four acres. This year we increased the cultivation of rice, and last year it was two acres, this year we planted four acres. Because there is a lot of water this year."

According to officials, nearly 2,000 hectares of land in Herat were planted with rice last year.

 Rice is cultivated in the neighboring districts of Harirod, such as Guzara, Anjil, and Pashtun Zarghun.

Rice fields need a lot of water, and the roots of rice must be under water from planting to fruiting.