According to Amac News: The office announced in a report today (Monday, February 10) that the results of the survey show that 159,000 metric tons of cotton have been produced in Afghanistan this year, which is a 30 percent increase compared to last year.
The office emphasized that remote sensing technology and satellite images have been used to identify and record areas under cotton cultivation, which has helped to establish 105,000 hectares of land under cotton cultivation in the country.
According to the report, Afghanistan has cultivated cotton in 17 provinces, which has increased by 12 percent compared to last year.
Meanwhile, Helmand has the highest cotton production with 80,000 metric tons, and other important producing provinces include Balkh (34,000 metric tons), Kandahar (11,000 metric tons), Jawzjan (11,000 metric tons), and Nangarhar (5,000 metric tons).
The report states that Helmand has the largest area under cotton cultivation with 50,000 hectares of land, while Kapisa has the lowest with only 66 hectares.
Cotton is one of Afghanistan’s important agricultural and export products, and last year alone, cotton and cottonseed worth 273 million US dollars were exported from Afghanistan to other countries.
Given the ban on poppy cultivation in the country, cotton has been introduced as a suitable alternative for farmers. This product is not only widely used in the textile industry and vegetable oil production, but also brings significant income to Afghan farmers.