The first pistachio processing factory in Badghis was inaugurated last week in the presence of local government officials and business community members.
With a processing line equipped with five pistachio crushing machines, the factory has the capacity to process 300-500 kilos of pistachio in one hour, which is 7,200-12,000 kilos in a day.
The factory’s processing line has the capacity for installation of five more crushing machines that could double the processing capacity of the factory.
Financed by the Afghan Ministry of Agriculture and the private sector, this factory is built at a total cost of USD 157,500.
“This factory is built according to the market standards. In addition to crushing and processing pistachios, this factory also does sorting, grading, cleaning, and packaging of the pistachios. We are sure this factory will help Badghis pistachio gain international recognition,” said Head of Agriculture Department in Badghis, Abdul Tawab Tayeb.
The current and traditional method of crushing and processing pistachios in Badghis results in 10% waste of the products, but with the establishment of the new factory, the waste is reduced to 1%.
According to estimates from traders in western Afghanistan, if the Badghis pistachio is crushed and cleaned by a machine, the value of one kilo of pistachio kernels will increase by 150 AFN. Based on these estimates, the value of Badghis pistachios this year could go up by over 600 million AFN, equivalent to over USD 7 million.
This year, about 36,458 tons of fresh pistachios have been produced in the province, of which 18,299 tons of dried pistachios have been obtained.
