The Taliban Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock has recently claimed that onion yields have reached over 540,225 metric tons in the past year.
In a newsletter released on Monday 17 April, the ministry stated that nearly 30,470 hectares of land were used for onion cultivation in Afghanistan in 1401 Solar Hijri Year.
According to the published information, the provinces of Nangarhar, Parwan, Farah, Takhar, Baghlan, Balkh, Kabul, Kandahar, Helmand, and Nimruz had the highest onion yields in the past year.
While onion prices reached an unprecedented level in Afghanistan last winter, to the point where people were unable to afford them, the Taliban Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock said it is working with the private sector to manage onion supply to the market by activating small storage facilities.
The ministry’s newsletter did not mention why onion prices increased so dramatically last year despite the increase in onion yields and to which countries Afghanistan has exported onions.
According to insiders, excessive exports of onions from Afghanistan to Pakistan have caused an increase in onion prices in domestic markets.
The Taliban has presented onion yield statistics through media, claiming a decrease in prices compared to the previous month. Currently, the price of 7 kilograms of onions in Afghan markets ranges from 250 to 300 Afghanis.
