LOGAR, Afghanistan — Taliban authorities in eastern Afghanistan have destroyed dozens of tomato farms in Logar province, citing violations of agricultural directives issued by the group’s local Directorate of Agriculture, local sources told Amu.
Farmers in multiple districts said they had invested tens of thousands of Afghanis to build small greenhouses for tomato cultivation ahead of the spring harvest. However, Taliban officials reportedly razed the crops after accusing farmers of ignoring prior orders not to plant tomatoes.
According to officials within the Taliban-run agriculture department in Logar, farmers were instructed last year to avoid planting tomatoes due to the crop’s high water demand and the lack of reliable market access. The officials claim the orders were repeated this season but were disregarded by several farming communities.
“As a consequence of disobedience,” a local official said, “the greenhouses were dismantled and the crops destroyed.”
The move has sparked frustration among farmers, many of whom say they received no formal warning or viable alternatives for income generation.
“We spent all our savings on these greenhouses,” one farmer told Amu, speaking on condition of anonymity. “They destroyed our only source of income.”
The incident highlights ongoing tensions between Taliban authorities and local communities over agriculture policy and resource management, particularly in water-scarce regions.
