Construction Begins on Large Fruit Market with Cold Storage in Herat

Construction has begun on a large fruit market spanning 65 jeribs of land south of Herat city, at a cost of seven million US dollars.

The market is being built by the private sector to store fresh domestic fruits and facilitate their export abroad. The project is expected to be completed within the next six months.

The project manager of the market, Ismatullah Jahani, said: “Twenty-five jeribs of land have been allocated specifically for cold storage facilities. Each cold storage unit has the capacity to store 2,000 tons of fresh fruit, and more than 10,000 tons of fruit can be stored in total. This initiative provides significant facilities for orchard owners, farmers, and national traders, especially in Herat province.”

The construction of standard cold storage facilities forms a major part of this project.

In addition, 600 shops are being built in the market for the sale of fruits and vegetables.

Head of the Herat Fruit Sellers’ Association, Abdul Ahmad, said: “In this fruit market, there will be no road blockages, and people will not face inconvenience.”

Fruit seller Nasir Ahmad said: “This fruit market is a large space and will provide us with many facilities. There will be no disturbance or overcrowding for people. Business will be conducted smoothly here, and roads will not be closed.”

According to local officials in Herat, fresh domestic fruits will be stored in these cold storage facilities and then exported to foreign countries.

Herat Governor Sheikh Noor Ahmad Islam Jar said: “In this fruit market, fruits will be preserved in standard cold storage facilities so that during off-season periods, they can be supplied to the market. Northern countries of Afghanistan represent a very large market for our fresh fruits.”

The Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock also states that it has allocated 37,000 jeribs of land across all provinces for the construction of cold storage facilities and agricultural marketing centers.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, Sadr Azam Osmani, said: “We plan to build standard cold storage facilities in all provinces so that our agricultural products are preserved properly and prepared for export.”

The lack of standard cold storage facilities for preserving fresh fruits and other agricultural products is considered one of the serious challenges faced by farmers and orchard owners in the country.

During harvest season, due to falling prices in domestic markets and the lack of exports, a large portion of fruits remains unsold and goes to waste.