The second phase of the Qosh Tepa canal project began on Saturday in six locations in the Aqcha district of Jowzjan province.

Officials from the Jawzjan River Basin said that upon completion, the canal would irrigate about 300,000 hectares of agricultural land in this province.

"300,000 acres of land in Jawzjan province will be covered," said Saaduddin Salimi, head of the Jawzjan River Basin.

"This canal has the capacity to transport approximately six and a half million cubic meters of water per second," said Ahmad Masoud, a representative of the contracting company.

The Qosh Tepa canal, which is 280 kilometers long, starts in the Kaldar district of Balkh province and passes through Jawzjan province to reach the Andkhoy district in Faryab province.

Furthermore, economic experts say that the completion of this canal will lead to Afghanistan achieving self-sufficiency in agriculture.

"It is clear that it will not only suffice for the people of Jawzjan province and neighboring provinces but there is also the possibility that wheat could be exported abroad," said Abdul Qahar, an economist.

Residents of Jawzjan say that the completion of this project will irrigate thousands of acres of agricultural land and significantly increase the volume of domestic produce in the country.

"Our lands yield so much that we don't have enough consumption for it; we want other countries to buy wheat from us," said Wazir Mohammad, a resident of Jawzjan.

"Once this canal is operational, all this land will be irrigated, and agriculture in this region will continue," said Mohammad Hashem, another resident of Jawzjan.

The Qosh Tepa canal is the largest irrigation canal in Afghanistan, with its costs estimated at around sixty billion afghani, funded by the budget of the caretaker government.