Date harvest at the canal’s garden in eastern Nangarhar province is estimated to reach six tons — four times up compared to last year’s yield, an official said Sunday.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has planted around 2,800 trees in the garden by 10 years back and it was expected that the trees would start yielding dates within four years.
However, the garden started producing dates later than expected and the yield increased last year.
Sayed Hamayoon Gharibmal, the canal’s spokesman, said the garden would produce six tons of dates, which would be four times higher compared to last year’s.
He linked the increase in yield to timely technical activities such as spraying, fertilizing, pruning and softening of the soil.
The garden director Abdul Qaium Atrafi told Pajhwok Afghan News that 150 plants in the garden produced two tons of dates last year but 300 plants would produce six tons of dates this year.
He said the lack of a surrounding wall and processing issues had been shared with the authorities concerned and if these issues were addressed, they could export the dates abroad as well.
He said the UAE envoy in Kabul had assured them the creation of more gardens on 90 acres of land and further cooperation in this regard.
