AFGHANISTAN: Agriculture Ministry calls for US$2.5 billion aid programme

Years of turmoil have adversely affected the agricultural infrastructure, particularly irrigation systems. About two-thirds of farmland requires irrigation [http://www.afghanistans.com/Information/Economy/Agriculture.htm]. This rendered the landlocked country largely dependent on food imports and pushed millions of Afghans into extreme poverty.

Agriculture is the primary source of income for over 70 percent of Afghans but it has largely been overlooked in rebuilding and development efforts since 2001, aid agencies such as Oxfam International say.