Afghanistan: Afghans Struggle to Supplant Poppies with Fruit Crops

Jan 1, 2017 | Agence France-Presse
View Original

Frosty relations between Kabul and Islamabad have put a brake on Afghanistan's ambitious plans to boost fruit exports, seen as vital to providing farmers an alternative to poppy cultivation which fuels the Taliban insurgency.  Pomegranates and grapes have long been the pride of Afghan agriculture, but exports from the landlocked country have suffered due to poor air connectivity and frequent border closures by the country's regional nemesis Pakistan.