The National Statistics and Information Authority of Afghanistan, under the management of the Taliban, has announced that cotton production has increased by 30% this year.
In a statement issued today, Monday, February 10th, the authority stated that 159,000 tons of cotton were produced in the country this year. This represents a 30% increase compared to the previous year.
According to the statement, the authority conducted a cotton survey for the first time in 15 provinces and used remote sensing technology to determine the areas cultivated with cotton.
The statement further mentioned that 105,000 hectares of land in 17 provinces of the country were cultivated with cotton, marking a 12% increase compared to last year. The provinces of Helmand, with 80,000 tons of cotton, Balkh with over 34,000 tons, Kandahar with over 11,000 tons, Jowzjan with nearly 11,000 tons, and Nangarhar with over 5,000 tons of cotton, contributed the most to the production of this commodity.
Cotton is considered one of Afghanistan’s important export goods. According to the provided statistics, last year alone, cotton and cottonseed worth 273 million US dollars were exported abroad.
However, the increase in cotton production has occurred at a time when the Taliban has banned the cultivation and production of opium poppy in Afghanistan.