Local officials in western Farah province said on Tuesday that the yield from this year's watermelon harvest of 544,000 tons doubled the amount produced last year. Already, 250,000 tons - the total amount harvested last year - have been exported to other provinces and neighboring countries.

Officials at the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (MoAI) concluded that the larger harvest, which runs from July to September, has been caused of a combination of factors, including a broader distribution of seeds, favorable weather conditions and successful efforts to curb pest infestation.

Fifteen thousand acres of land has been reportedly cultivated for watermelon production in Farah.

MoAI officials also announced that the ministry has developed a plan for improving irrigation throughout the country that should augment crop production. The plan, which is based on a form of new irrigation technology, will be rolled-out first in Farah province according to Majidullah Qarar, the spokesman of the MoAI.

"The new technology is solar-powered irrigation," Mr. Qarar said.

Officials of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACCI) announced last month that the country's exports have increased by over 40 percent during the first quarter of the current fiscal year. According to available data, last year, Afghanistan's exports in the first quarter were valued at $64,000,000. In the first quarter of the current year, this number has increased to $100,000,000.

An increase in the export of fresh fruits, dry fruits, grains, vegetables, herbs, carpets, cotton and permanent production is attributed as the cause for the rise in exports.

ACCI officials also noted a six percent decline in total imports in the first quarter of the fiscal year.