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A VICTIM OF WRATH, A BENEFICIARY OF PROGRESS Kabul - A nation imperiled by decades of war, Afghanistan is now a country on the rebound. With the days of relative peace upon the Afghan people, resources are being gathered and projects put into place, in an effort to revitalize the previously stagnant economy. One of the major sectors being focused upon in this revitalization effort is the grape industry. Formerly the number one export out of the agrarian-based nation, grapes are not currently considered an export. However, with the help of a Roots of Peace pilot project, eighty-eight tons of grapes from Kabul and Kandahar are being exported to India this month, symbolizing the resurgence of Afghanistan’s international grape trade. Noorgul Shamzekheyl, a former UC Davis student and the current Dean of the Horticultural Department at Kabul University, concludes, “With the high quality of Afghan grapes, Afghanistan can be a unique country in the international grape trade.” There are several factors that contributed to the demise of the Afghan grape industry. The wars that have plagued this region for the past twenty-five years have left many scars throughout the country. The hidden killers that are landmines scourge the landscape with a heavy concentration being situated in the grape-growing region of the Shomali Plain. With the bulk of the population fleeing the country to seek refuge from the wars, vineyards were left abandoned, causing the carefully cultivated grapes to deteriorate. Ken Tourjee, Chief Agricultural Specialist for Roots of Peace, expands on this idea, “The systems were in place, then war scattered the farmers and poisoned the land.” Aside from damaging the vineyards themselves, the many battles also damaged the irrigation system, with Tourjee adding, “War has ruined many of the canals and that coupled with the recent droughts that have affected the area has caused several premier locations for growing to produce little, if any grapes due to the lack of water.” Even through all of these hardships, there still remains a great deal of optimism in the resilient Afghan people. Tooryalai Wesa, a Professor at Kabul University reflects the prevailing sentiment in the region, “It is hard to compete with the quality of the Afghan grapes on the international market.” This is no exaggeration, having originated from this region, table grapes are ideally suited to the temperate, arid climate of Afghanistan. Due to this ideal climate, many farmers can produce a high quality product without the usage of fertilizer and insecticides. To sustain a decent economy, Afghanistan must increase their production and trade of exports. One of the best places to start is with the coveted Afghan grapes, with the greatest markets being in India, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This harvest will mark the first ever exportation of cold storage grapes to India, with the Roots of Peace shipment of eighty-eight tons of extra class grapes being sent to Delhi and Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay). This is a very important step in the rebuilding process of Afghanistan as the country must be ready for the eventual decline of international aid, as it is the beginning of a potentially highly lucrative partnership, a partnership that can fuel the economy for years to come. A new day has arisen; a country that has been mired in years of bitter conflict can now focus on improvement instead of decline, construction instead of destruction, for the initial stages of peace have begun. With the money and expertise that has been pumped into this country, its people can finally believe in something that has been lost for so long, a new tomorrow.
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