page_title: Economy of Afghanistan
section_title: Agriculture and livestock
hierarchical_section_title: Economy of Afghanistan / Agriculture and livestock
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Tunnel Pergola Afghanistan
context_page_description: The economy of Afghanistan has improved significantly in the last decade due to the infusion of billions of dollars in international assistance and remittances from Afghan expatriates. The assistance that came from expatriates and outside investors saw this increase when there was more political reliability after the fall of the Taliban regime. The nation's GDP stands at about $70 billion with an exchange rate of $20 billion, and the GDP per capita is about $2,000. It imports over $6 billion worth of goods but exports nearly $1 billion only, mainly fruits and nuts.
  Despite holding over $1 trillion in proven untapped mineral deposits, Afghanistan remains one of the least developed countries in the world. Its unemployment rate is 23.9% and about 54.5% of its population lives below the poverty line. Many of the unemployed men join the foreign-funded militant groups or the world of crime, particularly as smugglers. The Afghan government has long been pleading for foreign investment in order to improve Afghanistan's economy.
context_section_description: Afghanistan currently produces roughly 1.5 million tons of fresh fruits annually, which could be increased significantly. It is known for producing some of the finest fruits, especially apples, apricots, cherries, figs, grapes, melons, sweet mulberries, peaches, and pomegranates. Building and using greenhouses is a fast-growing industry in the country.
  The northern Afghan provinces are famous for pistachio cultivation. In recent years, farmers in the southern and western provinces have also begun cultivating pistachios. Provinces in the east of the country are famous for pine nuts. The northern and central provinces are also famous for almonds and walnuts. The Bamyan Province in central Afghanistan is known for growing superior quality potatoes, and on an average produces 140,000 to 170,000 tonnes. Nangarhar Province is known for oranges, olives, peanuts, and dates. Cultivation of these fruits are now spreading to other provinces in the south of the country.
  Wheat and cereal production is Afghanistan's traditional agricultural mainstay. National wheat production in 2015 was 5 million tons. Afghanistan is nearing self-sufficiency in grain production. It requires an additional 1 million ton of wheat to become self-sufficient, which is predicted to be accomplished in 2020. The overall agricultural production sometimes declines following droughts.
  Livestock in Afghanistan mainly include cattle, sheep, and goats. Building and using modern poultry farms is also a fast-growing industry. The availability of land suitable for grazing has traditionally made animal husbandry an important part of the economy. There are two main types of animal husbandry: sedentary, practiced by farmers who raise both animals and crops; and nomadic, practiced by animal herders known as Kochis. Natural pastures cover some 7,500,000 acres (30,000 km²) but are being overgrazed. The northern regions around Mazar-i-Sharif and Maymana were the home range for about six million karakul sheep in the late 1990s. Most flocks move to the highlands in the summer to pastures in the north.
  Arable land in Afghanistan is around 8 million hectares. Wheat production stands at about 5 million tonnes, nurseries hold 119,000 hectares of land, and grape production is at 615,000 tonnes. Almond production has jumped to 56,000 tons and cotton to 45,000 tonnes. It was reported in 2019 that about 10,000 acres of land in Afghanistan is used to cultivate saffron.
  According to the World Bank's report published in April 2019, Afghanistan’s economy suffered from the consequences of a severe drought that affected the agriculture production in 2018. While the wheat production declined by 24%, milk production declined by 30%.
caption: Afghan grapes
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