Alternative poppy cultivation project completed in four Kandahar districts

A two-year project funded by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to promote alternative poppy cultivation and support farmers and livestock breeders has been completed in Kandahar.

The initiative, which cost 1.3 million dollars, was carried out in the districts of Arghistan, Shah Wali Kot, Khakriz and Ghorak.

Mohammad Hanif Haqmal, spokesman for the Kandahar Directorate of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, said 3,310 farmers received wheat, cotton, legume and vegetable seeds along with chemical fertilizers, wheat reaper machines and other agricultural equipment.

Fifty mushroom farms were built and four seed storage centers were established in each district.

Livestock support included six milk collection centers, four animal feed centers, training for six artificial insemination specialists, shelter equipment for 400 breeders, honeybee farms for 20 families, and vaccination and treatment for more than 1,000 animals.

Five large check dams were constructed for water management.

Farmer's Day programs have begun across the four districts, starting with Khakriz.