| | Mole crickets destroy grape gardens in Parwan Pajhwok Afghan News
08/16/2005
By Farid Tanha & Zainab Mohaqeq
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CHARIKAR - Grape orchards in the central Parwan province are facing a serious threat as swarms of mole crickets attack the roots leaving thousands of plants defoliated. Farmers in the Bagram district of the province feared if quick steps were not taken to control the attack, the insects would fully destroy the plants in the next few weeks. Some non-governmental organisations (NOGs) had helped the farmers to plant grape orchards to boost agriculture in the province. Gul Mohammad, owner of a grape garden in Bagram, said: "The winged insects have attacked the garden and I don’t think we will have as much grapes as last year." Plants protection official in the Parwan province Lala Mir confirmed the attack saying the insects first hit the roots and then damage the stem and leaves. Chief of the provincial agriculture and livestock department Abdul Hafiz Hadid told Pajhwok Afghan News 16 million plants were existed in the province but the two and half decades of war and the recent insects attack had reduced the number to 800. He said the mostly damaged area is the Totam Dara, central part of the province, where the plants were badly affected by the insects. Mir Agha, another gardener, complained the agriculture department had done nothing to control the situation and save the plants from destruction. But Lala Mir said they had little resources to help the farmers. Tro Ardam, representative of the US agriculture ministry in the Provincial Reconstruction Team, said they planned to train farmers on new agriculture techniques in Parwan, Kapisa, Panjshir and Kabul provinces.
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