Farmers in western Afghanistan say the lack of adequate cold storage facilities is forcing them to sell their produce at rock-bottom prices during harvest season, undermining their livelihoods and contributing to food waste.
In Farah Province, Neda Mohammad tends to her orchard with growing frustration. Like many farmers in the region, she is compelled to sell her fruit within a short window each year — not because the crops are ready, but because they cannot be preserved.
“When harvest season comes, there’s too much fruit in the market and not enough demand,” she said. “Last year, I took fruit to the market and couldn’t even sell it for five Afghanis per kilo. I had to throw it away on the roof to rot.”
With no access to refrigerated storage, Mohammad said, she is left with little choice but to sell large quantities of fruit at once — often at prices too low to cover her costs.
The issue is not isolated to Farah. Farmers in neighboring Herat Province report similar difficulties. Many have invested heavily in tomato cultivation this year, only to face severe price drops once the produce reaches market.
“The price for one kilo of tomatoes is about 35 rupees now, but when tomatoes from Herat hit the market, we’ll have to sell them for five Afghanis,” said Mohammad Ismail, a farmer in Herat. “Fertilizers and pesticides are expensive, and every time the dollar rises, those costs go up, too.”
Other farmers echoed the concern, saying they often earn less from their crops than what they spend on inputs.
Daoud, another farmer in Farah, said the economics simply do not add up. “When our fruit is ready, we take it to market and sell it for five or six Afghanis per kilo. That doesn’t even cover our costs,” he said.
In interviews, farmers repeatedly emphasized two key demands: the establishment of modern cold storage facilities and the creation of reliable export channels to foreign markets. Without these, they say, their economic prospects will remain grim.
Economic analysts say such support could have ripple effects beyond agriculture. “Timely and comprehensive investment in farmers doesn’t just strengthen the country’s economy,” said one expert. “It also creates new jobs and stabilizes rural incomes.”
Despite Afghanistan’s vast agricultural potential, farmers say infrastructure remains critically underdeveloped, leaving them vulnerable to seasonal gluts, price crashes, and climate-related losses.
