Herat greenhouse farmers complain low cucumber rate

Some greenhouse owners of cucumber crop in western Herat province have complained about the low cucumber rate and said the income from the crop could not compensate their needs and expenditures.

They demanded relevant officials to generate more local and external market opportunities when the cucumber crop is near harvesting. Mohammad Haidar, one of the greenhouse owners, told Pajhwok Afghan News the rate of cucumber significantly declined in the province and the continuation of this phenomenon would result in losses for them.

He said he invested all his capital 200 afs for the construction of a greenhouse saying that this year there was no suitable market for the cucumber sale. He said last year the cucumber market was good but this year the cucumber rate was down and the greenhouse farmers were struggling.

Safdar Ali, another greenhouse farmer, also acknowledged Mohammad Haidar’s comments and said besides high-quality cultivation huge expenditures they now sold one kilograms of cucumber against five afs while last year the price of one kilogram of cucumber was above 10 afs.