AFGHANISTAN MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE DISCUSSES COUNTRY'S

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KABUL 002825 SIPDIS STATE FOR S/SRAP; SCA/A; EEB/AG STATE PASS TO USAID FOR ASIA SCAA DRAY STATE PASS TO USDA/FAS FOR, FCAP, OCBD, OFSO E.O. 12958; N/A TAGS: EAGR ECIN EAID AF SUBJECT: AFGHANISTAN MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE DISCUSSES COUNTRY'S AGRICULTURAL SITUATION ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: During a September 4 meeting with visiting USDA officials, Afghan Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock (MAIL) Rahimi said good rains this year contributed to surging agriculture production of grapes, apples, apricots, and pomegranates. He said the country is not ready to make wheat the primary crop due to lack of irrigation, quality seeds, fertilizers, and research stations. Rahimi added that his Ministry needs US help to improve the country's irrigation system, create a farm credit system, and expand the extension service. The Minister explained that the $30 million "Change Management" program, designed to improve Ministry services, is a high priority for his Ministry. He also discussed two new Ministry initiatives: he said MAIL will head the "Economic Cluster" comprised of 5 - 6 ministries to address economic issues and the creation of a "one-stop-shop" land lease agency that will allow companies and businesspeople to lease large parcels of farmland, to be used for agricultural purposes, online (a $7 million program). End Summary. ¶2. (U) In a September 4, 2009, meeting with Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock (MAIL) Rahimi, U.S. Embassy and DC-based Agriculture staff discussed the agricultural situation in the country and areas where the US/Afghanistan might strengthen cooperation. U.S. Attendees were Quintin Gray, Acting Agriculture Minister Counselor , Office of Agricultural Affairs, U.S. Embassy, Kabul; Jaime Adams, Senior Advisor, Foreign Agricultural Service; Gary Barrett, USDA Afghanistan-Pakistan Fusion Cell, and; LTC Howard Schauer, Agribusiness Development Teams Liaison to USAID, USDA and MAIL, U.S. Army National Guard. ¶3. (U) Ag Minister Counselor Gray complimented the Minister's excellent agricultural briefing to Senator Levin's delegation earlier in the week. Gray explained how the Afghanistan-Pakistan Tri-Lateral Working Groups in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the U.S. will work together to address food security, trade corridors, and water issues in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Gray highlighted the Cochran Fellowship program, which will send Afghan agriculturalists to the U.S. for agricultural training (six will travel to the US within a few weeks),and the Borlaug Fellowship program, which will send five Afghan agriculturalists to the U.S. for training in January. ¶4. (U) USDA/FAS Adams explained USDA plans to place agricultural experts in the Ministry as part of the Ministry's "Change Management" initiative, but did not discuss exact dates. She explained that the USDA Fusion Cell Afghanistan-Pakistan (FCAP) was created earlier this year to help answer questions about agriculture in Afghanistan and serve as the DC-based USG liaison for activities and initiatives related to agriculture, watershed management, and forestry. Adams reiterated USDA's commitment to provide Afghanistan and MAIL with on-the-ground expertise to help improve the agricultural sector. USDA/FAS Barrett explained his efforts to design a training program for U.S. agricultural technical experts being sent to Afghanistan to serve on Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs),Agribusiness Development Teams (ADTs),Regional Commands, and as Ministry Agricultural experts that would strengthen their understanding of agricultural practices in Afghanistan. He also explained how USDA would work with the agriculture experts to develop training and workshops to build capacity with rural Afghans. -------------- MAIL Directors to Work with Ministry Experts -------------- ¶5. (U) Rahimi said MAIL working level directors would be the points of contact for the experts. For example, he said the policy/planning and extension/research directors will work with the Ag productivity expert. He said the expert would be invited to attend the weekly Sunday program coordination meetings (in English), and the all-department policy-focused meetings on Thursdays (in Dari). Change management will be led by Allison Rhind, an Australian senior advisor, and the Minister. Minister Rahimi noted that change management and is their highest priority and will require approximately $30 million in funding. -------------- Agriculture Production Soars -------------- ¶6. (U) The Minister said the country suffered a serious drought last year, but this year, due to good rain fall, production is up 500%. He mentioned Herat and Ghazni provinces specifically. Rahimi noted that grape production is doing very well this year due to the rains and improved trellising and also cited increased production in apples, apricots, and pomegranates. He said some companies are exporting to India; he estimated that a company could buy the fruit for 1 dollar/kilo, pay .20 for airfreight, and that Indian companies KABUL 00002825 002 OF 003 would pay more than 4 dollars/kilo. ¶7. (U) Rahimi noted that inspections and certifications continue to be a trade barrier. Specifically he noted that when exporting to Iran, fumigation and international standards continue to be an issue. He asked USDA to help develop Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) policies to meet international standards, which he thought would increase the likelihood of exports to India. He asked that one of the U.S. agricultural experts coming to Afghanistan possess this expertise. ¶8. (U) Concerning making wheat the country's primary crop, Rahimi stated that the country is "not" ready for a wheat campaign. There are numerous issues to be addressed to implement such a campaign: irrigation needs, seed and fertilizer quality issues, and the lack of research stations. All these items need to be in place before a campaign is launched; he also cited the high political risk of failure. Rahimi also raised the need for storage - 500k tons preferred capacity. And finally, he said that Afghanistan will host a UG 99 stem rust conference for Afghan farmers, scientists, and agri-businesspeople, most likely in November. ¶9. (U) The Minister said the insurgency is a major obstacle to agricultural production. When young people don't have food to eat, he said, they are more likely to accept food from the insurgents and more willing to become radicalized. -------------- Afghanistan's Agriculture Sector in a Nutshell -------------- ¶10. (U) Minister Rahimi gave a power point presentation on Afghan agriculture: - 85 percent of the Afghan economy is agricultural; - Most Afghan farms are too small to support a family; - Poverty drives the young to become insurgents and to become radicalized; - Farm families need on and off farm income; - Building rural economies is mostly, but not purely, agricultural; and - Actions taken by his Ministry and other international partners could have a quick impact on rural communities, but that there are no quick fixes. -------------- Irrigation/Electricity Key to Increased Agricultural Production -------------- ¶11. (U) Rahimi stated that lack of irrigation/electricity was a major challenge for agriculture and rural development, lamenting less than six percent of the Afghan countryside has electricity. He noted that the U.S. had great success in electrifying rural areas and Afghanistan should not be nearly as difficult, because Afghanistan is approximately the size of Texas. ¶12. (U) The Minister focused on irrigation, stating a better irrigation system would make Afghan farmland 500 percent more productive. For wheat, he noted that non-irrigated land produces 1.2 tons per hectare and irrigated land usually produces 3.0 tons per hectare. The Minister estimated if Afghanistan could produce 3.5 tons per hectare it would no longer need to import wheat. He stated production levels in Pakistan and India are typically 5 tons per hectare and 6 tons per hectare in Egypt. ¶13. (U) Rahimi stressed that a long-term vision is needed for big projects (e.g. 1-3 dams for each province). He said when Ambassador Eikenberry visited Paktika the only thing local residents asked for were two dams, estimated at a cost of $10 million each. Rahimi noted such a project would improve the livelihood for thousands of families. -------------- Farmers Cannot Get Credit -------------- ¶14. (U) Rahimi stressed the need for a farm credit system in Afghanistan, similar to those in India and Pakistan. He noted it would be important to adapt the model for Afghanistan, but that such a plan should only take about a month. Although there are microfinance options in the country, he said, these options are not yet helping farmers. -------------- Improved Extension Service Sorely Needed -------------- KABUL 00002825 003 OF 003 ¶15. (U) Minister Rahimi said he felt improved extension services will make a quick impact. Sharing a story about his own pepper garden, he said the pepper plants appeared to be dying, but his wife watered the plants every day. Rahimi asked his extension experts at MAIL, who explained pepper plants should only be watered once a week. Rahimi said this kind of simple, practical advice is what makes extension so valuable and provides a quick impact. The Minister currently has 1,000 extension agents in the country and he projected the need for 5,000. -------------- New Ministry Initiatives -------------- ¶16. (U) Minister Rahimi described two new Ministry initiatives: - The MAIL will lead a new "Economic Cluster" group of Ministries comprised of MAIL, Ministry of Rural Rehabilitative Development (MRRD),Ministry of Counternarcotics (CN),Ministry of Public Works (MPW),and Ministry of Energy and Water. While all the Ministries will continue to exist, the Minister said that the Economic Cluster will reduce the number of Ministers reporting to the President on economic issues from 20 to about 5 or 6. This organizational structure will help the Government improve coordination with other governments. Rahimi noted that if the cluster concept is successful, he would lobby for all Ministries to undergo change management. (Comment: The Finance Minister subsequently told Ambassador Wayne there may be only 3-4 clusters but confirmed that Minister Rahimi would lead an Agriculture and Development cluster under the plan.) - As of September 4th, the Afghan Government has authorized MAIL to create a "one-stop-shop" land agency for land lease. He said the goal is to make larger parcels of land available to private companies wanting to invest in farming. Currently, the Afghan Government owns most of the land in the country. The Minister envisions a website where Afghans currently living outside of the country who wish to come back could lease/buy land online. Rahimi estimates the cost of this program to be $7 million, with the primary cost being land surveys. EIKENBERRY