Food vendors and young entrepreneurs in Ghazni Province say their livelihoods have deteriorated in recent months, as demand drops and limited institutional support leaves small businesses and agriculture ventures floundering in one of Afghanistan’s historically productive regions.
“People just don’t have money,” said Madad Ali Mohammadi, who runs a small grocery shop in Ghazni city. A father of five, Mohammadi said he now struggles to cover basic household expenses. “We’re just getting by, barely finding dry bread,” he said. “There’s no work, no movement. Everything has slowed down.”
Mohammadi is among many vendors who say daily sales have dwindled sharply over the past year. In the absence of broader economic opportunities, many young people in the province have turned to fruit farming — particularly apple orchards — hoping for a stable income. But that, too, has proven difficult.
Yasin Mokhtarzada, a local orchard owner, said he invested heavily in developing his land, hoping to capitalize on Ghazni’s favorable climate for apple production. “But we are drowning in debt,” he said. “No matter how hard we try, nothing seems to change.”
Ghulam Hussain Jafari, another orchard grower, blamed the lack of coordinated market protections and government oversight for undercutting local farmers. “When our apples come to market, Iranian imports flood the shelves. Prices drop and we lose everything,” he said.
Local sources told Amu that while Ghazni’s climate remains well-suited for horticulture — including fruit orchards and vegetable greenhouses — the absence of stable market access and institutional investment has pushed many growers to the brink of collapse.
“There is potential here,” one agricultural official said, requesting anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media. “But without support, farmers won’t keep going. And if agriculture falters, so does the entire rural economy.”
Farmers and vendors alike say targeted support — including access to affordable fertilizers, transportation links, and protection from cheap imports — could revive the sector and provide much-needed employment in the province, where job opportunities remain scarce under the current economic conditions.
