Caretaker Government: We Need Islamic Countries’ Support for Agricultural Development

DID Press: Acting Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock of Taliban caretaker government, in a meeting with the Deputy Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), urged support from the Islamic countries to strengthen water and agricultural projects in Afghanistan.

Attaullah Omari, the Acting Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock of the caretaker government, in his meeting with Khalil Ibrahim Oker, the OIC Deputy Secretary-General, requested greater support and cooperation from the organization’s member states for the development of Afghanistan’s agriculture and water industry.

In the meeting, Omari highlighted Afghanistan’s high potential for producing quality agricultural and horticultural products and emphasized the need for increased investment and support to develop water projects, including the construction of canals and small dams.

He also called for facilitating the export of Afghanistani agricultural products to Islamic countries, so as to help boost economic growth and improve the living standards of farmers and livestock owners.

In response, Khalil Ibrahim Oker said that the OIC is committed to supporting Afghanistan’s agriculture and livestock sector and will encourage member states to allocate more resources and facilities for this purpose.

However, details of the OIC’s ongoing projects in Afghanistan’s provinces have not been announced, though the Taliban’s Ministry of Agriculture insists these projects are contributing to improving the country’s agricultural conditions.

Agriculture is one of the key sectors of Afghanistan’s economy, with more than half of the population depends on it.

Despite the country’s potential for producing a wide variety of agricultural and livestock products, major challenges such as a lack of irrigation infrastructure, poor water resource management, and export limitations have posed serious obstacles to the sector’s development