Afghanistan’s National Statistics and Information Authority (NSIA) says this (solar) year’s production of wheat totalled 4.83 million metric tons across the country, an increase of about 10% against last year.
NSIA says the total area cultivated with wheat in Afghanistan this year is 12.2 million hectares.
The directorate said in total, about 70 percent of cultivated agricultural land in the country is being used for wheat.
Officials said the main reason for the good harvest was timely rains and the switch from poppy farming to wheat.
This increase is welcomed by officials, whose aim it is to encourage farmers to grow the cereal in order for the country to become self-sufficient.
Currently Afghanistan needs a total of almost 7 million metric tons of wheat a year in order to cover the population’s needs.
In order to determine the amount of wheat grown in the country, NSIA analyzed satellite images from the time of cultivation to harvest.