Farmers in Arghandab district in Kandahar province said Friday that recent rains in the district severely damaged pomegranate crops.

The rains added to other troubles this season including a lack of markets and an increase in tariffs from Pakistan.

“We can earn between $12,838 to $32,095 dollars per garden, but the tariffs went up and the rain also damaged our pomegranates, and farmers and businessmen were greatly harmed financially,” said Hafizullah, a farmer.

“First, we suffered from Pakistan's tariffs, then our gardens were blighted with disease, and now it is raining. The government has made false promises that they would transfer our fruit through the “air corridor,” but that has not been implemented yet," said Daoud Shah, a farmer.

Sayed Hafizullah Sayedi, a Kandahari agriculture director also confirms that recent rains and diseases have strongly affected the growers in Arghandab district.

“Unfortunate weather in Kandahar, as well as natural diseases and now rain, has affected the gardeners—pomegranates are spoiled,” said Sayed.

Kandahar is one of the provinces where a large part of the country's pomegranates are harvested.