KABUL, July 8 (Xinhua) -- The Afghan agriculture authorities planned to cultivate a pistachio forest in the country's northern Sari Pul province, in the latest efforts to boost agriculture in the land-locked country, the Afghan Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock said on Thursday.
"The Directorate of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock of Sari Pul province has announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding for construction of 100 hectares of pistachio forest in Imam Sahib-i-Khord area in the center of Sari Pul," the ministry announced on its website.
The project included the construction of 26,600 terraces for pistachio seeds and regiments, as well as the construction of 2,000 cubic meters of rock material in the province that has been the scene of heavy clashes between Taliban militants and security forces in recent months, according to the ministry.
The building of the new pistachio forest is funded by Emergency Agriculture and Food Safety Project (EATS) and World Bank, the ministry said.
The Afghan government has taken measures to invest in the agricultural sector as overall agricultural production dramatically declined in recent years due to drought as well as persistent fighting and instability in rural areas. Enditem