Pomegranate industry in Afghanistan: opportunities and constraints

Afghanistan can be considered the country of the pomegranate fruit because of the excellent quality of the cultivars that thrive there. Afghanistan is a land for 48 leading world cultivars of pomegranate commonly growing in Kandahar, Kapisa, Samangan, Farha, Nenroz and Balkh Provinces. Kandahar Province has historically, widely been known as main production area for its high quality and productivity. Other pomegranate orchards are located along the Arghandab River. Pomegranate ranks 5th after grapes, almond, apricot and apple. The area has decreased from 5667 ha (1996) to 2500 ha (2003). The average yields are in the range of about 8600 kg/ha in Dand district to more than 19000 kg/ha in Arghandab district. Although one estimate says the total production is around 24,000 Mt, a rational estimation is around 15-20,000 Mt, due to the poor production in some areas. Production in the Kandahar Province is approximately 10,000 metric tons; and the main cultivar is ‘Kandahari’. Smaller volumes are produced elsewhere in Afghanistan. Elevation is the main restriction in production, with ‘Bedana’ produced in Nangarhar at or above 1000 m elevation. ‘Kandahari’ is produced at elevations from 550 m to below 1000 m. Up to now no collection of local cultivars has been carried out by the fruit tree projects funded by international organisations (EC, World Bank, FAO, USAID, DFID, ICARDA, etc.). To meet the high demand of the world market, Afghanistan must increase production levels and improve productivity through better husbandry of pomegranate orchards. In Afghanistan few are commercial orchards, commonly the farmers grow this fruit species in small plots with intercropping, due to very exiguous dimensions of farms (average 0.8 ha per household), dire needs of staple food for their families and an instable political situation. In spite of the good local cultivars few cultural practices such as irrigation, fertilisation, pruning, etc. are applied often in an unsteady way. Due to the health benefits of the fruit (anti-oxidant) several traders in Afghanistan have started to receive orders for pomegranate from outside their traditional markets in the Sub-Continent. So, locally the market for pomegranate does not compare with other more common fruits because the demand is growing rapidly. Pomegranate commercialisation has a typical supply chain that involves the following major players: Grower, Pre-harvest Contractor, Pakistani Importer/Financier, Packaging Company. From harvest to market, wooden baskets (typically 3 sizes, but without uniform size/weight), made of flexible pomegranate tree branches (1st or 2nd year shoots) are used. For export mostly wooden crates are used. Pomegranate is an ideal fresh fruit for Afghanistan to export as they come in a tough outer rind and have good storage properties. So, pomegranate should be considered as one of the most promising crops for support but refrigeration, postharvest handling and promotion should all be applied to this crop.