Establishment and Utilization of Fruit Germplasm Collections in Afghanistan

The project is in line with the objectives of the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock to contribute to poverty alleviation for the rural population as expressed in the Agriculture Master Plan. This is establishing for identifying fruit germplasm and fruits evaluation. Since starting my work with the PHDP Afghanistan, 1546 nurseries are registered in the country with total 15,000,000 saplings. About 850 fruit varieties are collected and registered and added in collections. According to the protocol for distinctness, uniformity and stability test description, we are evaluating more than 300 fruits characteristics. The specific objective of the project is to develop a demand oriented and export led persistent horticulture industry. The project will create a core of knowledge for the persistent horticulture industry in Afghanistan, centered on knowledge of the best varieties and the best growing techniques to help in the development of a high quality for export horticulture industry that responds to the requirements of customers in those countries that are willing to pay high prices for Afghan fruits and nuts. The project has completed the collection of all the fruit and nut varieties in the country. This collection is intended as a permanent resource for the benefit of everyone working on horticulture in Afghanistan. Once the varieties are collected and catalogued, the value of the varieties will be assessed, and the project will be able to make recommendations to orchard growers on which varieties will best suit their different markets and climates and growing conditions. The project aims to be one of the key studies in the development of the horticulture industry in Afghanistan.