KABUL, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- A cold storage facility and a fresh fruit processing plant were officially inaugurated on Friday in Maidan Wardak, the capital of eastern Afghanistan's Wardak province, local media Tolo news reported.
The project, built at a cost of approximately 1 million U.S. dollars, has the capacity to store nearly 2,000 metric tons of agricultural products. It aims to reduce post-harvest losses, support local farmers, and contribute to the economic development of the province, the report said.
The new facility would play a key role in improving the preservation and processing of agricultural produce, while also helping stabilize market prices for farmers.
Farmers in Maidan Wardak welcomed the opening of the facility, expressing optimism that it would help increase their incomes and prevent large quantities of fruits from going to waste.
Maidan Wardak is one of Afghanistan's major fruit-producing regions, generating hundreds of thousands of tons of fresh fruit annually. However, the longstanding shortage of cold storage facilities has posed a serious challenge for orchard owners, often resulting in significant financial losses. ■
