Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09KABUL2825
2009-09-17 10:28:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Kabul
Cable title:  

AFGHANISTAN MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE DISCUSSES COUNTRY'S

Tags:  EAGR ECIN EAID AF 
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VZCZCXRO7849
RR RUEHDBU RUEHPW RUEHSL
DE RUEHBUL #2825/01 2601028
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 171028Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1507
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHINGTON DC 0130
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

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