Melon production has significantly increased in the western province of Badghis this year due to adequate irrigation and lack of pests, local officials said. 

Melon fields have covered nearly 32,000 hectares of land in Badghis. 

The acting head of the provincial Directorate of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, Abdul Halim Sajid, said the farmers are faced with lack of cold storage facilities.

“Nothing has been done in this respect,” Mr. Sajid said.  

Farmers, meanwhile, said their harvests have increased but they are faced with lack of market for their products.

“Cold storage facilities are a need. We want to send our products to provinces and even to neighboring countries,” a Badghis farmer, Massoud, said 

“This year the melon harvest is good but its price in the market is low,” a Badghis farmer Mohammad Ibrahim said.  

Badghis residents called on the government to help the farmers and improve agriculture in the province. 

“It will leave a huge impact on farmers economy if the government fails to pay attention to melon fields and if it fails to help farmers,” a Badghis resident Habib Fawzi said. 

This comes as almost 20 provinces, including Badghis, faced severe drought in 2018 which heavily damaged agricultural products in the provinces.