IEA Strives to Promote Asafetida Cultivation in Helmand

HELMAND, Mar. 26 – According to representatives of the provincial Agriculture and Livestock Department, the government has begun initiatives to promote the production of the medical plant asafetida, which is thought of as a poppy alternative, in southern Helmand province.

The head of the Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock Department, Engineer Mohammad Aslam Bashardost, stated that the agriculture department began efforts to encourage farmers to cultivate asafetida this year after growing it in Helmand Province three years ago as a pilot project with positive results.

According to their research, the environment in Helmand is ideal for asafetida cultivation, and they anticipate that many farmers will produce the herb this year.

Farmers meanwhile requested information from the agriculture department about asafetida cultivation.

Since decades, poppy was cultivated in Helmand province, formerly the world’s largest opium producing region, but after the takeover of the Islamic Emirate, poppy or any other drugs were banned.

The Agriculture and Livestock Ministry has been trying to promote alternative crops for poppy.