The United Nations (UN) has started distributing high-quality wheat seeds to Afghan farmers, who have been hit hard by drought in the last three years, to help them grow their crops for the upcoming spring season. Under the plan, over one million farmers will receive free seeds and fertilizers from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN.

“The wheat sector has really struggled this year. An acute drought, the economic implosion meant that yields were low,” Richard Trenchard, FAO Representative in Afghanistan, was quoted as saying by TOLOnews. Most farmers, he added, have been struggling to produce food for themselves. 

FAO is a specialized UN agency that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security worldwide.  

Seed shortage could impact their spring crop, he said, and “This is why it's been so important that FAO has been able to increase its support to households working in 31 out of 34 provinces in Afghanistan.”

The FAO also plans to provide vegetable seeds and other seeds for the spring and summer growing seasons.

“It'll ensure importantly [that] they have seeds, good quality seeds for the coming seasons as well,” Trenchard said, adding “This will ensure they have food. It will ensure also that wheat is in the market.”

Around 23 million Afghans are currently experiencing acute food insecurity due to the combination of drought, COVID-19, and economic collapse, the FAO said in a report.

Agriculture, which contributes almost 25 percent to gross domestic product (GDP), is one of the most important economic segments, as over 80 percent of the population are dependent, directly and indirectly on it. 

(SAM)