KABUL — Afghanistan’s cotton harvest reached 159,000 tons this year, a 30 percent increase from the previous year, according to the Taliban-run Statistics and Information Authority.
While the agency did not disclose figures for the previous year’s harvest, it reported that cotton was cultivated on approximately 105,000 hectares of land across 17 provinces. The authority also stated that Afghanistan exported $273 million worth of cotton and cottonseed to international markets over the past 11 months.
Despite the reported growth in production and exports, farmers continue to struggle with economic hardship and limited government support. Many say they are forced to sell their crops at low prices due to a lack of domestic buyers and inadequate assistance from aid organizations.
Farmers also cite insufficient access to irrigation water, fertilizers, and other agricultural resources as ongoing challenges that threaten their livelihoods, even as the country’s cotton industry expands.
