Afghanistan’s Cultivated Farmland Expands by 10% in 2026

DID Press: Afghanistan’s cultivated agricultural land increased by 10.2 percent in 2026 compared with the previous year, reaching more than 3 million hectares, according to the General Directorate of Statistics and Information under the Taliban administration.

The agency reported that of the total cultivated area, more than 2.1 million hectares consist of irrigated farmland, while approximately 874,000 hectares are rain-fed agricultural land.

According to the agency, the expansion in cultivated land was driven by timely rainfall and improved climatic conditions. It added that Helmand Province recorded the country’s largest irrigated farming area, while Takhar Province had the largest area of rain-fed cultivation.

The statistics were compiled using satellite imagery, remote sensing technology, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), which the agency said are intended to support agricultural planning and policy-making.