Afghan Leader Pledges to Improve Agriculture
Posted on: Friday, 16 May 2008, 12:00 CDT
Excerpt from report by privately-owned Afghan Ariana TV on 15 May
[Presenter] At his second meeting with a number of Afghan farmers, President Hamed Karzai has called for concerted efforts to grow other crops [other than poppy].
At this meeting, the president pledged that the government would meet all the demands of the farmers. At the same time, the farmers have issued a resolution asking the president to resolve their problems. Hakimollah Sharyar is reporting:
[Correspondent] Afghan President Hamed Karzai took part in a meeting of farmers from across the country to emphasize the need to increase agricultural products. Mr Karzai urged the farmers to pay more attention to growing other crops.
[President Karzai in Pashto and Dari] I am taking this paper [containing farmers' problems, proposals] and will present it to the international community after careful scrutiny. We hope to achieve your and the Afghan nation's goals by [implementing] this paper.
[Correspondent] President Karzai also emphasized the need for domestic products, encouraging all Afghan citizens to improve industry and avoid consuming those foreign products which are currently produced in the country.
[President Karzai] It is our national duty. Our farmer has the duty to grow crops and increase his harvest, and our citizens in the urban areas need to purchase furniture and stationery [which are now produced in the country]. So we should purchase our own products. The press have the duty to publicize our national products to the people and the world and to urge them to purchase these products.
[Correspondent] At this meeting, the farmers also issued a 27- article resolution, handed it over to the president and reminded the government that more should be done in the field of agriculture.
The resolution has emphasized the need for a number of programmes, including removing debts, improving the irrigation system, activating factories producing chemical fertilizers, providing agricultural machinery to the farmers, providing investment opportunities and irrigating uncultivated land.
[Passage omitted: a representative talking about these problems, repetition]
This is the second year that the president has invited farmers to the capital to hold the national conference of farmers.
However, observers believe that such conferences remain symbolic if the government fails to take practical steps in this field.
Originally published by Ariana TV, Kabul, in Dari 1530 15 May 08.
(c) 2008 BBC Monitoring South Asia. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.
Source: BBC Monitoring South Asia
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