Kabul (BNA) Farmers in north, Balk, Jawzjan and Sar-i-Pul provinces were optimistic about the rain and snowfall ending an ongoing drought in the region.
The rain and snowfall that began last night in the capital Kabul and several Northern provinces brought cheers to growers, who hoped they would get rid of the insects harming their crops.
Abdullah Khan, a resident of the Yang -i-Qala area in Balkh province, said the wet spell had its benefits and harm.
He added that farmers sowed wheat in November and December when the land must be dry.
He said ”I was supposed to sow 10 acres of land with wheat. But now I could not do so because of the wet spell.”
One major benefit of snowfall is that it will end the drought, according to Khan, Ismail Bai, another grower from Kushanda district, said that some worms were damaging his crops.
The rain and snowfall would address the problem, he believed.
Balkh Director of Agriculture Katib Shams also opined the snowfall was beneficial ahead of wheat sowing, otherwise it could harm growers in terms of delayed crop cultivation.
He recalled that 142,000 acres of rain-fed land in the province was cultivated with wheat last year, but there was no harvest because of the drought.
The director said of the 250,000 acres of irrigated land, 40 percent was damaged this year.
Agriculture official in Jawzjan said the rain and snowfall would help end the dry spell.
Asadullah, a resident of Sherbaik district said there was a remarkable jump in cultivation.
So far hey had grown more than two tones of seed on their farms, he added.
The snowfall in Jawzjan that began on Nov. 8 is still ongoing.
It would end the drought in the province, where 55 hectares of cropped land were damaged during the current year, officials said.
