Rice production Increases by Nine Percent

Self-Sufficiency by 66 Percent; no Need to Import Rice worth Millions of USD
Qaws 18: Dec 11, 2019
According to new statistics, rice cultivation and production have increased by nine percent this year compared to last year. This increase has resulted in about 66 percent self-sufficiency in rice production and a reduction in imports of the product worth millions of dollars.
The survey was conducted jointly by the Central Statistics Organization and the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock (MAIL) using Geographical Information System (GIS), Remote Sensing, for identification of production amount. Paddy Crop Cut Survey technology was also used to find the paddy cultivation area.
Based on the survey, paddy was cultivated in 98 districts of 18 provinces, covering 128 hectares of land.
Paddy is cultivated in Kunduz, Takhar, Baghlan, Nangarhar, Balkh, Kunar, Sar-e-Pul, Badakhshan, Bamyan, Ghor, Daikundi, Uruzgan, Herat, Badghis, Laghman, Kabul, Khost, and Paktia provinces, among which Kunduz is the leading province in the rice production.
According to the survey, paddy cultivation area has also been increased by nine percent compared to last year.
Based on this survey, there were plentiful amount of water in the provinces where paddy was cultivated.
According to the survey, rice production has reached to some 383,000 metric tons this year, showing nine percent increase over the previous year.
Afghanistan needs 588,000 metric tons rice annually; with the production of 383,000 metric tons this year, Afghanistan has reached to 66 percent self-sufficiency in rice production.
With the increase of nine percent of rice production, rice imports in the first three quarter of the year has decreased by 180,000 metric tons, worth 28 million USD.
The value of rice imports in the first three quarters of last year, 1397 Solar Year, reached to over 94 million USD and with the increase of production amount in the first three quarter of this year, the value of rice imports has decreased to 65 million USD.
It is important to say that paddy cultivation had increased by four percent in 1397 Solar Year compared to 1396 Solar Year.
Rice, along with wheat, is a staple food for Afghans. The country's annual population growth has also increased people's need for the crops.
The Central Statistics Organization and the Ministry of Agriculture have always strived to collect accurate data on agricultural production and make it accessible to users